Young men—especially working-class young men—worry about reaching financial stability and being able to afford major life goals such as getting married, having kids, or owning a home, but union membership makes all of these achievements more likely, according to new analysis from the Center for American Progress. Data show that, for men under age 35 without a bachelor’s degree:
- Men in unions are 9 percentage points more likely to be married.
- Men in unions are 6.3 percentage points more likely to have children.
- Men in unions are 10.1 percentage points more likely to own their own home.
For all men under age 35, regardless of education, men in unions are 6 percentage points more likely to be married, 5.6 percentage points more likely to have children, and 8.6 percentage points more likely to own their own home. And new CAP polling finds that among voters, 63 percent of men under age 35 support making it easier to unionize. (see Appendix for methodology) Polling from the Young Men Research Project, meanwhile, shows that 55 percent of men under age 30 would support unionizing their workplace, and 64 percent of men younger than age 30 who are in a union household describe themselves as “financially stable,” compared with only 46 percent of men younger than age 30 who are not in a union household.
Union membership offers a way for young men to reach financial stability and afford their life goals. Unions offer substantial economic gains for all workers, but the boost for young men is especially large. The union wage premium, or the additional income that a worker could expect to earn if they are covered by a union contract (other things such as occupation and industry being equal), was 11.3 percent for workers between ages 18 and 34 between 2016 and 2021. For men younger than age 35, union representation increased wages by 17.6 percent. Men under age 35 represented by unions were also far more likely than those not in unions to have access to health insurance and retirement plans through their employers. These economic benefits go some way toward explaining why young men in unions are more likely to achieve life milestones: A 2014 study found that union membership increased the likelihood of getting married for men, which can be attributed to the increased economic security offered by union membership.
As a result, union membership can help overcome the challenges many young men face in being able to afford their life goals. Although nearly half of young men said they think “providing for your family” is one of the best descriptors of “what it means to be a man,” financial stability is out of reach for far too many young men today. A 2025 survey of men under age 30 found that only 45 percent say they “feel financially stable.” Even though 63 percent say that “[h]aving children is important to [them],” only 57 percent feel they “will be able to afford to raise children in the near future.” Working-class men especially have faced decades of stagnating wages, undermining men’s ability to support themselves and their families. CAP’s own polling found that 41 percent of voting men under age 35 felt that they either “have just enough income to cover basic needs but struggle at times” or “struggle to meet basic needs with my income all or almost all of the time.” Other polling shows that young men are struggling to achieve financial independence.
The financial benefits of union membership for young men may go some way toward explaining why Gen Z men are the most pro-union generation in history. Unions are at their most popular point in decades, especially among young workers and working-class men, many of whom are struggling to reach financial independence and attain important life goals such as buying a home or starting a family. At the same time, support for unions among young men exceeds every other age and gender group today, as well as the support that older generations demonstrated at their age, and it has for several years. CAP polling finds that, among voters, 63 percent of men under age 35 support making it easier for employees to form or join a labor union if they want to, and polling from the Young Men Research Project shows that 55 percent of men under age 30 would support forming or joining a union at their workplace and paying union dues in exchange for the benefits of better contracts and job protections. This suggests that policymakers who care about young working-class men should look to solutions that protect the right to organize and expand union membership as a way to ensure that hard work pays off.
Working-class young men in unions are more likely to be married, have kids, and own their own home
According to CAP analysis of data from the 2021–2025 Annual Social and Economic Supplements of the Current Population Survey, men ages 18 to 34 who are union members are more likely to currently be married and living with their spouse, have at least one of their own children in their household, and own their current home, compared with their nonunion counterparts. These differences are even greater for men under age 35 without a bachelor’s degree. For more methodological details on the data used in this analysis, see the Appendix.
Working-class young men in unions are more likely to get married than nonunion men. As shown in Figure 1, 34.5 percent of male union members under age 35 without a bachelor’s degree are currently married, while only 25.5 percent of nonunion men without a bachelor’s degree are married, a difference of 9 percentage points. For all men under age 35, regardless of education, 34.8 percent of union members are married compared with only 28.8 percent of nonunion young men, a difference of 6 percentage points.
Working-class young men in unions are also more likely to have children. While 31.5 percent of male union members under age 35 without a bachelor’s degree have at least one of their own children living in their household, this falls to 25.2 percent for nonunion men, a difference of 6.3 percentage points. (see Figure 2) Again, the difference is larger for working-class young men: For young men overall, 28 percent of union young men have children as opposed to only 22.4 percent of nonunion young men, a difference of 5.6 percentage points. Other polling shows that young men in unions are much more likely to feel they can afford to raise children: While 69 percent of men under age 30 in unions say they believe they “will be able to afford to raise children in the near future,” only 56 percent of men under age 30 who are not in unions feel the same.
Working-class young men in unions are more likely to own their own homes. Figure 3 shows that 61.5 percent of male union members under age 35 without a bachelor’s degree own their own home, compared with 51.3 percent of their nonunion counterparts, a difference of 10.1 percentage points. For young men overall, 59.6 percent of union members own their own homes compared with 51 percent of nonunion young men, a difference of 8.6 percentage points.
Young men want to be able to support themselves and have the financial freedom to achieve their goals, from owning a home to starting a family. Union membership works as a way for young men to achieve these goals: By raising wages, improving career prospects through better training and job protections, and giving workers a voice on the job, unions help working people achieve financial security, build wealth, and support a stable long-term career, all of which helps workers reach key life milestones. Unfortunately, these benefits are not accessible to enough workers. Only 6 percent of private sector workers are union members, even though 55 percent of men under age 30 say they would support unionizing their workplace. In order to help young men support themselves and get what they want out of life, policymakers should support reforms that protect the right to organize.
Appendix: Methodology
This column uses data from the 2021–2025 Annual Social and Economic Supplements included as part of the Current Population Survey, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau and distributed by the IPUMS Center for Data Integration.
The dataset is restricted to men ages 18 through 34 who are not in the military and are currently employed and usually working full time. In this analysis, men are compared based on whether or not they are currently members of a labor union; men who are covered by a union contract, but not union members themselves, are grouped with nonunion men, and have very similar rates of milestone formation to young men who are not covered by union contracts. Young men are considered “currently married” if they are currently married with a spouse present; results are similar when comparing whether union and nonunion men are married with a spouse present or are separated, divorced, or widowed as opposed to never married. Young men are considered to have children if they have at least one of their own children living with them in their current household.
The author tested the statistical significance of union membership for predicting the likelihood of marriage while controlling for wage income, age, education, race, and region. When controlling for these factors, union membership increases the likelihood of marriage for men under age 35 at the 90 percent confidence level. Union membership increases the likelihood of men under age 35 owning their home at the 95 percent confidence level. A statistically significant increase in the likelihood of having children is only associated with union membership when marriage is not controlled for, though union members are also more likely to be married. Previous research has confirmed that union membership is associated with a higher likelihood of being married largely due to the financial benefits of union membership as well as the enhanced prospects for long-term career stability. Occupation and industry may also play a role in higher rates of milestone formation because union density and compensation vary across jobs and sectors, though young men enjoy a large union wage premium even after controlling for occupation and industry.
In partnership with Blue Rose Research, CAP fielded a poll of 12,685 voters from August 27 to September 1, 2026. Results are modeled and scored on a representative sample of the national voter file, weighted to 2024 voters. The margin of error with 95 percent confidence is ±1.5 percentage points for the full sample and larger within subgroups. Among men ages 18 to 34, 31 percent “strongly support” and 32 percent “somewhat support” “making it easier for employees to form or join a labor union if they want to” do so. Note that this reflects baseline support, as the instrument did not include any pro/con argumentation about unions.
The author would like to thank Emily Gee, Ben Smith, Patrick Bourke, and Charlie Sebgir for their feedback on this column.