“If you don’t think about what’s happening to boys and how they’re being raised, that can hurt women” Barack Obama speaks from the perspective of a man with daughters

Barack Obama has stated that not raising boys properly ends up causing problems for the women who have been well-raised. The former US President appeared on his wife Michelle’s podcast, which will air today, July 16. In a preview of the chat, Barack emphasized the importance of raising men and boys and how their upbringing has implications for the world. Barack said: “For those of you who do not have sons, So, Emma, we are rooting for you because those of us with daughters…” “We need good men,” Michelle Obama interjected. Barack continued: “We’ve got to have good guys out there, not necessarily to get married, but to make sure that… “What we’re learning, I think, is that when we don’t think about boys and just assume they’re going to be OK because they’ve been running the world and they’ve got all the advantages relative to girls, all of which has historically been true in all kinds of ways, but precisely because of that, if you’re not thinking about what’s happening to boys and how are they being raised, then that can actually hurt women.” He then explained, “Some of the broad political trends we’ve seen not just in this country, but around the world, have to do with this sense of boys, men, not feeling as if they are seen, feeling as if they count.” Barack said, in turn, some men and boys become deceived by people who tell them the reason they feel that way is because women are being empowered. Barack said the boys and men become “more interested in appeals by folks who say, ‘You know what, the reason you don’t feel respected is because women have been doing this, or this group has been doing this,’ and that’s not a healthy place to be.” While Barack acknowledged that society has made major strides in gender equality, noting, “We rightly have tried to invest in girls to make sure that there’s a level playing field and they’re not barred from opportunities.” However, he added, “We haven’t been as willing, I think, to be intentional about investing in the boys, and that’s been a mistake.