The Patriarchy Is Killing Men, Too

Written by Aghaghia Mokhber

Patriarchy and feminism are perhaps two controversial keywords that have been appearing a lot in the media, especially in this decade. The title of this article might sound a little bit odd since it tends to be in contradiction with the traditional definitions of patriarchy and feminism that one might have in mind. Traditionally, in simple words, we believe that patriarchy is a social construct that only hurts women, and, on the other hand, feminism is a movement that only helps women and advocates for their rights in particular. However, this framing is not entirely correct, as proven by the male global mortality rate and its relation to both patriarchy and feminism.

A lot of “men’s rights” activists tend to not like and in some cases even hate the word “feminism”, while they do not actually articulate the true ideas behind it. One of the main points that these extremists bring up against feminism is the fact that on average men tend to die younger and have shorter lives than women. They use this data (Figure 1) to argue that feminism is unwarranted because women already live healthier or at least longer lives. This is, indeed, true; men do have a shorter life expectancy in most countries. However, if we take a closer look at the gender life expectancy world map (Figure 2), we can see a trend. In Countries like Iceland, Sweden, and England that are statistically proven to be more gender-equal, this gap tends to be quite insignificant, when compared to less gender-equal countries such as Hong Kong, South Africa, and almost all developing countries. This interesting trend has had sociologists to believe that there is, in fact, “a direct correlation between the state of gender equality in a country & male well-being measured by various factors such as welfare, mental health, fertility, and suicide”, said the Norwegian sociologist Oystein Gullvag Holter.

Although biological factors, such as the presence and ratio of different hormones, can contribute to this difference in life expectancy among men & women, the most important component of this gap is what scientists and sociologists call man-made diseases, literally. These so-called diseases stem from cultural factors. For example, it is more culturally acceptable for men to drink, smoke, or even do drugs regardless of their marital status and whether they have children or not. Men are also more likely to engage in high-risk activities, mostly because of the social norms that label men as and allows them to be adventurous creatures while women are stereotyped to be more cautious. According to a report published by Today, over 80% of the victims of drowning and car accidents are men. This is mainly because men are more likely to overestimate their swimming or driving skills and ignore safety guidelines, such as wearing life jackets or driving within the speed limit, as a result. Additionally, the World Health Organization (WHO) has revealed that men are less likely to refer to professionals when dealing with any kind of illness either mental or physical. This actually turns out to be a very important issue in more traditional societies, such as but not limited to rural areas or developing countries, where men experience high levels of anxiety as a result of the pressure that the traditional definition of “Ideal Masculinity” puts on them. In patriarchal societies, men are expected to be flawless, strong, powerful individuals that are in charge of, basically, everything. Therefore, they are pressured into living up to these social expectations and, as a result, try to hide any signs of weakness, such as mental or physical disorder symptoms. This pressure, if not managed in a wealthy manner, can sometimes lead to suicide in extreme situations. Émile Durkheim, commonly known to be the principal architect of modern social science, categorized this type of suicide as “Altruistic”, which he believed was caused by a sense of social duty and resulted from the pressure of many social responsibilities.

In East-Asia, for example, during a financial crisis in the 1990s, the suicide rate of men doubled in just a year, whereas that of women increased by a less significant factor (Figure 3). This was mainly a result of the pressure that was put on the breadwinners of society, who are almost all men in patriarchal societies, like East-Asian countries in the 1990s. On the other hand, however, in countries with high levels of gender equality, including Sweden and Austria, the correlation between financial crises, more specifically unemployment, and suicide in men (Figure 4) has disappeared almost completely, according to a study conducted by a team of sociologist over a period of 10 years:

“The relationship between rising unemployment rates and suicide in men has disappeared altogether [in Sweden & Austria].”

Going back to the traditional definitions of patriarchy and feminism, it has now been indicated that patriarchy does not only hurt women but it also can hurt men in various ways, while feminism does not only advocate for women’s rights but it fights for gender equality, which can benefit both sexes. It turns out that, generally, when women do well, men do too. Therefore, there is no need for men to hate or even be afraid of the word feminism, in fact, we can safely say that men need feminism just as much as women do.

Figures

Figure 1: World gender life expectancy gap from 1950–200

Figure 2: Life expectancy difference between men and women in various countries

Figure 3: Suicide rates during the financial crisis in East-Asia, in the 1990s

Figure 4: Suicide rates during the financial crisis in Europe, In the 2000s. (Dotted line: the suicide rate in men, Black line: unemployment rate)