近年の社会経済的変化は、これまで女性に比べて安定し画一的だとされてきた男性のライフコースに、新たな「危機」と多様化をもたらした。第1に、雇用労働者の増加と長寿化が、定年後の「第二の人生」への再適応という課題を生じさせた。「現役」時代に企業社会へ過剰に適応してきたために、多くの高齢男性が、定年後の生活への適応に困難を抱えることとなった。第2に、女性の継続的な就労や政府の男女共同参画政策・少子化対策によって、父親により多くの育児責任が求められるようになった。長時間労働を強いられ、育児期の性別役割分業が経済的に合理的な選択になってしまうような雇用労働環境のもとで、多くの父親たちが、仕事と育児の両立をめぐる葛藤を経験するようになった。第3に、経済のグローバル化を背景とした雇用の二極化は、男性が仕事と家庭のバランスをとることを改めて難しくした。会社から「疎外」され、仕事も家族も得られない男性が増加する一方で、中核労働者の男性たちは、依然として企業に取り込まれ、家族と過ごす時間がもてないでいる。さらに、仕事や経済的な悩みでの自殺も増えている。男女平等を促進する立場からは、女性の社会的・経済的エンパワーメントを妨げない方向で、これらの男性の「危機」を克服することが求められる。公的政策と企業の努力によって、男性中核労働者に集中する労働量と賃金を他の人々に割り振ることが望まれる。男性たち自身も、近代の物質主義的=男性的価値を相対化し、家事や地域生活に必要なスキルを身につけ、柔軟な人生設計を行っておく必要がある。エンパワーメントのための生涯学習は、全体的な男性優位の構造と、より複雑で多様な個別の男女の関係性の両方を視野に入れながら進められる必要がある。 \nMen have traditionally been thought to lead a life-course more stable and homogenous than women, but recent socio-economic changes are creating new types of "crises"and diversity. The purpose of this paper is to explore the backgrounds and details of these crises and consider ways of coping that will promote gender equality. ]Firstly, the increasing number of employed workers and the prolongation of life are causing men in the latter years of　middle-age to grapple with the reality of a "secondlife," a life after retirement. A large number of retired men appear to　behaving difficulty adjusting themselves to the condition of retirement because they had over-adjusted themselves to the corporate environment and the gender division of labor. Secondly, fathers are being asked to participate more inchild-care because of the increasing number of women who continue to work after marriage and childbirth, and because of governmental policy to promote gender equality and raise the birth rate. However, the majority of families with young children are obliged to adopt the gender division of labor in keeping with economic reality. This places not a few fathers in a dilemma regarding work and parenting. Thirdly, the polarization of employment caused by economic globalization and corporate downsizing is making it increasingly difficult for men to strike a balance between work and family life. While increasing numbers of men are alienated from work and family, " core employees" are still being forced to work long hours and have little time to spend with families. The number of suicides by men worried about work and money has recently increased markedly. In terms of the promotion of gender equality, endeavors to help men cope with these crises need to be consistent with women's empowerment. It is necessary for public policy and companies to redistribute the workload and salaries which are currently concentrated on male"core employees."It is also necessary for each individual man to rethink materialistic masculine lifestyles ; develop skills of housework and community life ; and design flexible life-plans. Support for the empowerment of both men and women should be provided in consideration of the male-dominant structure at the macro level and the different complex patterns of gender relations at the micro level.