Exclusion from work and impoverishment in post-communist societies: the case of „unattached males“ in Lithuania

Abstract

This article investigates the emergence of a phenomenon new to post-communist societies – the sociodemographic group of „unattached males.“ This group constitutes a growing number of young males with poor skills and little education who 1) detach themselves from the labor force even in the presence of jobs, 2) are not marrying, and 3) are increasingly plagued by a variety of social pathologies and health problems. These pathologies include crime, alcoholism, drug abuse and depression that, in turn, contribute to this group’s silent withdrawal from society. A conceptualization of the „unattached male“ as an adaptive strategy is presented along with a typology. Reintegration of these ‘unattached males’ represents a significant issue for social policy and potential focus for considerable social work practice.