Men are less likely to donate, less likely to volunteer, and less likely to get involved in charities. We’re a sector powered by women but led by men and, as a result, we (women) have innovated for ourselves. There’s a reason that Dorothy was so generous. We’ve created products, services and offers that have skewed their tone, language and features towards women.
In broader society, the discourse around masculinity has become so divisive and polarised that it’s almost impossible to start an open conversation about positive masculinities in a public social forum. There are real fears held by some that if we start focusing on the problems of men and actively helping them, then we’ll forget about women and girls. But lack of discourse about these problems have led to some shocking stats for men.
Suicide is the biggest killer of men under 50. 1 in 5 men in the UK report that they have no close friends. Men die younger than women, partly because they dismiss their symptoms and hold off going to see a medical professional until it’s too late. Boys are less likely to go onto further education, they're more likely to struggle with addiction issues, and they make up the majority of the homeless and prison population. Men are assaulted on a daily basis by toxic and unrealistic ideals of masculinity in the media, in advertising and in porn. A generation of boys are growing up being shamed for their gender. And that’s not ok.
That’s why the Good Futures team selected men as the topic for our eighth Paradigm Shift report. We’ve written this report with the hope that it starts a debate in charities about the responsibility of the third sector to being part of a positive discourse about masculinities. As Richard Reeves puts it, “We can be passionate about the rights of women and girls, and compassionate toward vulnerable boys and men.” By promoting healthy expressions of masculinities and offering support and guidance, we can help men find their place in a world that is continuing to evolve and, ultimately, create a fairer, more equitable society for all.
If you’d like to get your hands on the full report, please visit GoodFutures.co.uk to become a Good Futures subscriber. You can watch the highlights reel from the Future of Men Safari here. In the meantime, we’ll leave you with the 10 headline challenges from the report, and 10 ways you, as a charity and innovator, can be part of the solution.
