The falling labor force participation from men in their prime working years is mainly driven by those without college degrees, who see themselves as losing money and status relative to their college-educated peers, according to a new study.
The study done by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston found that earnings had fallen by more than 30% over the past 40 years for men without four-year college degrees who are between the ages of 25 and 54.
The weekly earnings for these men have declined 17% from 1980 to 2019, adjusted for inflation. College-educated men, on the other hand, saw their weekly earnings increase by 20%.