Is Masculinity in Crisis?

An archetypal reflection on the integration of Yin and Yang following the debate at UBC.

I recently attended a debate hosted by UBC with panelists who said: Yes - Masculinity Is in Crisis: Jonathan Kay, Journalist, editor and podcaster; former editor of the National Post, and Dr. John Oliffe, School of Nursing, UBC. No - Masculinity is Not in Crisis Dr. Luc Cousineau, Program Director & Instructor, Dalhousie University, Dr. Fang Wan, Faculty of Management, UBC Okanagan.

It was a lively conversation (when the mics were working), with laughter, intensity, nuance, data, and varied perceptions.

The Debate Missed the Mark

The recent UBC debate on “Is Masculinity in Crisis?” circled the usual orbit — biology, culture, social media — but never touched the deeper current running through all of it: masculinity as an archetype.

The masculine isn’t just a social construct or a hormonal accident; it’s an ancient frequency within the collective psyche, expressed through patterns that are mostly show up as The Warrior, The Sovereign, and The Strategist. When these archetypes fall out of balance, we meet their shadows — aggression, domination, manipulation — the “dark triad” we love to pathologize. But pathology alone doesn’t tell the story. What’s happening now is not the death of masculinity. It’s a collective recalibration.

What’s Really Happening

The Yang in all of us is being retuned. The Yin — the soul, the unseen, the intuitive — is rising and demanding participation, as well as activating her animus - inner masculine to come online an support the body, inner structure, and healthy detachment during the shift.

When the collective psyche experiences too much of one polarity, the other responds. We’ve been living in a world of chronic Yang: endless striving, performing, optimizing. The breakdown we see across systems isn’t a gender issue; it’s an energetic one.

Crisis, from the Greek krisis, means decision, turning point, judgment. So technically yes — masculinity is in crisis but it isn’t ending. It’s simply being asked to decide how it wants to exist next in a breakdown to breakthrough moment.

The Breakdown

The shadow of too-much Yang can’t sustain itself. Our institutions, industries, and even identities built on domination and control are cracking. When competition is constant and vulnerability is mocked, The Warrior loses its heart. The Sovereign becomes self-absorbed. The Strategist turns manipulative. The result? Anxiety, burnout, and disconnection — not just for men, but for everyone whose inner masculine is exhausted.

The Breakthrough

Yin is teaching us to relate differently to power itself. Power that listens. Strength that protects rather than conquers. Strategy that serves rather than schemes. The Masculine isn’t disappearing — it’s being re-calibrated. One of the debaters said, “Masculinity cannot be in crisis because it is a social construct.” But Mars (The Warrior) isn’t a social construct. Mars doesn’t evolve — we do. The Warrior is a frequency that lives within each of us. How we use its power will continue to shift. The archetype remains eternal; what changes is how we embody it. And that embodiment is now asking us to care for our bodies, protect our dreams, be brave in the face of adversity, and find a passion that lights your fire.

The Real Crisis

The root of this crisis is in relationship. We’ve lost dialogue with ourselves. We’ve silenced the Sovereign, over-worked the Warrior, and given our Strategist away — belaying our inner authority to systems that were never built for our wholeness. When we stop relating to our inner archetypes, we all go down with the ship. The Warrior is not just for military, The Lover is not just for Hollywood, The Nurturer is not just for mothers, The Transformer is not just for psychologists and Shamans. Re-establishing conversation with our inner pantheon is crucial for the next phase of our collective story. Masculinity needs Yin not as a rescuer, but as a mirror. Yin leads integration because Yin can hold contradiction without needing to win.

A New Kind of Courtship

Look to nature: in many species, the females are the selectors while males display their worthiness. The peacock fans his tail; the bird-of-paradise performs his dazzling dance.

For centuries, human courtship mirrored this — the “showing of feathers” through grand gestures, drinks at a bar, flashy confidence. But that display no longer flies. We’re craving depth, resonance, and substance — the kind of magnetism that comes from authentic frequency, not performance.

The Masculine — in all of us — is being asked: Who are you, really?

What do you stand for?

What radiates from you when you show up as your best self?

Maybe it’s your song, your storytelling, your problem-solving, your care for the land, your presence. Your “feathers” are not what you own, but what you radiate. True attraction today isn’t about impressing; it’s about expressing. When you live in your frequency — when your Warrior protects something meaningful, your Sovereign leads with integrity, and your Strategist acts with clarity — others recognize it. They don’t just want to mate with you; they want to create with you.

Supporting the Shift

This transition is uncomfortable because it asks us to grow up — personally and collectively. We can’t outsource masculinity to men, or femininity to women. Both principles live inside us.

Yin for the Win isn’t about replacing Yang; it’s about leading integration and slowing down enough to hear what our inner team really needs. Relationships will continue to evolve, jobs will dissolve and re-form, systems will fail and rejuvenate — but if our inner Yin and Yang can learn to collaborate rather than compete, we’ll navigate the shift with far more grace.

The Call

The call now is to reconnect. To remember that Strength, Integrity, and Clarity aren’t gendered — they’re universal. When those qualities work together, the world regains its balance. The Masculine, in its true form, isn’t panicking; it’s remembering its soul.

We are remembering our power.

Want to meet your archetypes? Discover what your Warrior wants — or what your Lover is longing for. Apply for Coaching-on-the-Go! A 4-week remote dive into your leading and shadow archetypes.

Integration begins within.

Written by Jessie Rivest

Edited with AI assistance.