Family Matters - Gerard Holland on being men and boys again

On this episode of Family Matters, Simon interviews Gerard Holland, CEO of the Page Research Centre in Australia, about his speech at the @AspireConference 2026 in Sydney where he talked the very real challenges facing boys and men in modern society. Simon noted how profound and clear Gerard’s insights were, both what is contributing to these challenges but also the way out for boys and men. Gerard cites worsening mental health, rising suicides (including Australia’s very high young male suicide rate), falling home ownership, delayed marriage and children, and more young men not in education, employment, or training. Simon adds that there is also a near-constant branding of masculinity as toxic, and the needs of young men ignored by policy and funding. Gerard talks about what he believes are the three main causes: Housing unaffordability locking young people out of life milestones and pushing high-density “shoebox” living. He shares how median house prices used to be 4-5 times a person’s annual income, but is now greater than 9x nationally; 11x in Brisbane and Melbourne, and bewteen13–14x in Sydney). Fatherlessness and fragile cohabitation (around 40% of kids born to non-married parents), which he links to poorer educational and crime outcomes. And thirdly, the culture wars manifest in schools framing men (often white men) as oppressors, leading to demoralisation, nihilistic subcultures, or a growing rejection that shows up in populist politics. Simon and Gerard discuss resilience as the missing difference from past hardship and argue that secure early attachments, mothers and fathers having distinct parenting roles, and stronger kin networks matter. They both critique the economic incentives that push parents into institutional childcare and contribute to isolation, and suggests rebuilding community-based care. For young men, he advises finding mentors, rejecting the destructive strands of the manosphere, focusing on self-improvement aimed at providing value for self and others, and grounding meaning in service and “hero” narratives. At the end, Simon briefly asks Gerard to give his insights into energy policy seeing this is a key focus of the Page Research Centre. Gerard argues energy equals prosperity, but that climate “doom” stories has driven governments to force a rapid shift from coal/oil/gas to diffuse wind and solar, deindustrialising production and creating expensive, unreliable systems. He says Australia went from among the cheapest OECD power prices to among the most expensive, with bills 40–50% higher in five years and enormous projected transmission costs. He notes that while it is clear the system is failing and increasingly expensive, the elites will resist changing course because it requires admitting error. ​