“Disconnected” Men: Understanding Men’s Joint Roles as Workers and Romantic Partners

Abstract

A growing portion of men are disconnected from the formal labor market. Scholars have relied on men’s absence from the pool of “marriageable men” to explain declining marriage rates. Using interviews with sixty-one prime-age men who are out of the labor force, we examine the understanding men in nonmetropolitan areas have about how their workforce status conflicts with, comports with, or is unrelated to their role in a romantic union. Most do not judge their work status as making them “unmarriageable.” Some cite relationship obligations as conflicting with employment; others believe they fulfill the provider role through activities such as cash work and self-provisioning. Researchers should recognize the alternative ways men fulfill roles as resource providers, which we find go beyond formal employment. Men do value work, but they do not always define and prioritize work in the ways that have been the dominant focus of research.