Almost half of young men say they still feel under pressure to “man up”

Almost half of young men in the UK say they still feel under pressure to “man up” 

Almost half of young men in the UK are reluctant to talk about their feelings for fear of being seen as less masculine, according to new research.
 
A report released by Movember today reveals that 45 per cent of 18-34-year-olds have avoided talking about their problems because they don’t want to appear less of a man.
 
And even more (54 per cent) think masculinity is about being “strong”, both physically and emotionally.
 
The survey, commissioned by Movember and carried out by Ipsos MORI, found despite significant awareness that talking openly was an effective way of dealing with problems, younger men, in particular, were reluctant to do so.

A third (28 per cent) of men – of all ages – said they felt under pressure to behave in a masculine way, with 58 per cent believing society expects them to be “emotionally strong” and not show weakness, to fix things (58 per cent) and to be physically strong (55 per cent).
 
Men also see advantages of being manly/masculine such as helping them to get a partner (52 per cent), deal with day to day life (44 per cent) and getting or keeping a job (42 per cent).
 
Brendan Maher, Movember’s global mental health director, said: “Although we’ve made great strides in raising awareness of the challenges in men’s mental health and the importance of speaking up especially when you’re struggling, it is worrying that young men in the UK are still feeling under pressure to conform to age-old, masculine stereotypes that stop them from talking about the things that keep them up at night.
 

"We know that bottling up your feelings isn’t the best way of dealing with mental health challenges so we need to continue tackling these outdated ideas which are harming men.”
 
“Being seen as emotionally strong or stoic isn’t necessarily a bad thing – there’s a time and a place for it. But if the pressure to uphold this façade means that men can’t talk about their problems, then that can have a really negative impact on their mental wellbeing.”
 
Almost a fifth (15 per cent) of men aged 18-34 questioned said they always or frequently change their behaviour in order to appear more masculine, while 17 per cent of men in this age group reported that they were are often mocked for not being manly enough.
 
Three out of four suicides are men and it remains the biggest cause of death for men under the age of 44.
 
The annual Movember campaign, best known for encouraging men to grow moustaches during the month of November to raise funds for men’s health, is committed to tackling the crisis through its investment in mental health early intervention and suicide prevention programs.
 
Brendan Maher added: “Taking part in Movember is about doing things differently. As well as raising funds for men’s health, you act as a brave, hairy billboard for starting deeper and meaningful conversations. We encourage everyone to sign up to take part and to be there for the guys who matter in their lives, through good times and bad.”


Ipsos MORI conducted a quota survey through its online panel of 4,000 men aged 18-75 across the UK, America, Canada and Australia (1,000 respondents in each country). Response quotas were set based on age, region and working status and the final data were weighted to reflect these profiles. Fieldwork ran from 30th July – 12th August 2019.
 
ⁱⁱ Three quarters of men (77% global combined, UK 77%, Australia 74%, USA 77%, Canada 80%) think that talking is an effective way to deal with problems, and 76% (UK 77%, Australia 76%, USA 75%, Canada 74%) believe that talking openly can have a positive impact on mental health.