Male disengagement is a growing concern

My friend and I have birthdays just two days apart and she has never once failed to wish me a happy birthday. But this year, she missed mine and I couldn’t reach her for days. When she finally re-emerged, she shared a harrowing tale of how a group of men had broken into her home and robbed her. 

She was only saved because she managed to text a friend to call the police. She is a young teacher who lives alone in a South African township and has recently bought her first car. That may have been what put her in the robbers’ crosshairs. 

The incident prompted me to investigate what it means to empower women in a patriarchal society composed of men with a predisposition to violence. 

South Africa is witnessing a powerful generational shift, one often lauded but rarely interrogated deeply — young women, especially those between 20 and 34, are outpacing men across multiple fronts. They’re graduating in greater numbers, buying homes, financing vehicles and gaining financial independence at rates that would have been unimaginable a generation ago.

But, as the spotlight follows their ascent, the shadows lengthen behind them, namely, the growing cohort of young men disengaging from formal education, economic participation and society. And that disengagement is not benign. In a nation plagued by violent crime and patriarchal fragility, male alienation is a quiet fuse lit beneath the country’s most promising gains.

The Gender Parity Index (GPI) in tertiary education tells the story. As of the latest figures, South Africa’s GPI stands at 1.41, meaning that for every man enrolled in higher education, there are 1.41 women. More young women than young men are completing university degrees. They dominate fields like health, education, social sciences and, increasingly, commerce and law. 

Meanwhile, young men are either dropping out or not entering at all, with many citing a lack of financial support, a disinterest in “irrelevant” curricula and the pressure to hustle instead of study. This inadvertently leads to an overrepresentation of young women in higher institutions, graduate programmes and on the lower rungs of corporate. This has tangible implications as far as the economic position of young women vs young men is concerned. 

Recent data and industry analysis indicate that young women are not only active buyers but, in some cases, are outnumbering young men in vehicle purchases. Automotive industry experts and platforms have observed that among the youth market (under 35), women are increasingly taking the lead in vehicle acquisition. Michael Pashut, a respected industry commentator, specifically notes that women outnumber men in this demographic, highlighting a “noticeable and positive increase in the ‘youth’ market” led by women.

This trend is also reflected in the housing market. BetterBond found that solo women outnumber solo men in home loan applications and approvals. Women now make up 57% of all residential property owners and that’s not due to inheritance or co-signing; a growing portion of these buyers are young, single and economically self-sufficient. Among first-time buyers, women-only purchases make up 38%, co-ownership adds another 33% and men-only purchases trail at 29%. 

What is clear is that in the tangible expressions of adult success, young women are ahead. South Africa’s professional class in 20 years will be disproportionately female if this trend persists. While that is not the issue, it constitutes a breeding ground for unintended consequences. 

With ownership comes exposure. In a country with the world’s third-highest crime rate, where violence against women is pandemic, the economic rise of women doesn’t just empower, it imperils. Hijackings are on the rise, with a car stolen every 30 to 40 minutes. Women, now more likely to be solo drivers in newer vehicles, are increasingly targeted. 

Kidnappings, often tied to carjackings and robberies, have surged by 264% in the past decade. Home invasions are no longer confined to the affluent suburbs; they track asset ownership, not neighbourhoods.

This isn’t a random crime. It’s targeted. Criminal syndicates and opportunists alike are beginning to understand that the new symbol of affluence might not be a man in a Mercedes, but a young woman behind the wheel of her own Polo GTI, with a home loan and a postgraduate degree.

And here’s the crux — South Africa’s young men aren’t just falling behind, they’re getting disheartened. With high unemployment, a waning presence in tertiary institutions and deep cultural attachments to being “the provider”, many find themselves economically and socially emasculated.

The country’s entrenched masculinity culture doesn’t reward introspection or reinvention. Instead, it rewards dominance, often expressed through violence. South Africa ranks among the highest in gender-based violence, femicide and intimate-partner murders, all symptoms of a masculine identity crisis unfolding in real time.

When young women rise while young men fall, in a context where many men equate power with control, it’s a recipe for backlash. Women are not just succeeding; they’re succeeding in the face of male failure. And that, in a country where violent patriarchy is still in full bloom, is a dangerous tension.

If these trends continue unchecked, the country faces a fractured socio-economic landscape: 

• Workforce imbalance: A surge in qualified, employed women and an underqualified, underemployed male cohort;
• Crime inflation: More women in ownership equals more women in the crosshairs;
• Gender resentment: As women gain, while men lose power, the political rhetoric and domestic consequences could become explosive; and
• Social stagnation: Men disengaging from formal systems will create a parallel economy and culture, potentially hostile to the formal one.

To avert this collision, policymakers, educators and communities must act: 

• Re-engage men: Invest in programmes targeting male retention in schools, universities and skills development;
• Rethink masculinity: Expand school curricula and community education to include emotional literacy, nonviolent conflict resolution and new models of manhood;
• Protect women: Urban planning, policing and policy must evolve to anticipate the increased risks women face as economic agents; and
• Economic inclusion: Don’t just celebrate women’s rise, ensure male youths have viable pathways to dignity, work and contribution.

The economic success of South Africa’s young women should be a national triumph. It is the fruit of decades of policy, perseverance and grit. But we would be foolish to think it exists in a vacuum. Male disengagement is a growing concern, not only for the men themselves but for the women who now walk, drive and live as both achievers and targets. If we want a truly inclusive society, equality cannot mean flipping the imbalance; it must mean addressing both the rising and the falling, with care, clarity and courage.

Yonela Faba is a University of Cape Town PhD candidate in economics and a writer with blockchain, finance and policy analysis expertise. He has a background in academia and banking. Linkedin: Yonela Faba.