Calling all men: feminism can save your life

The BBC has revealed that, since last year, the gender pay gap has increased in 40% of private companies in the UK. Those with a wider gap include Npower and Virgin Atlantic.

The shock findings highlight the continued inequality faced by women. But a more equal society could benefit men too.

For example, men tend to die earlier than women. It is just biology?

Last year, the World Health Organisation (WHO) published a report arguing that men’s early deaths are, in fact, tied to gender inequality.

As societies become more equal, the life expectancy gap between men and women gets narrower. In Iceland, which was rated the best in Europe for gender equality, women outlive men by just three years. By contrast, in Russia men die on average almost 11 years earlier than women.

But why?

“Men (more than women) tend to cope with their problems and dilemmas by taking refuge in addictions,” write the researchers. But the effect diminishes as women become more equal in society.

Ideas of traditional masculinity are strong in Eastern Europe. Nowhere more so than Russia. Here, the report found that heavy drinking “elevates or maintains a man’s status in working-class social groups”.

Shockingly, 25% of Russian men die before they are 55, with most deaths due to alcohol. Russian and Georgian men are also the most likely to smoke, while men from Iceland smoke the least.

Part of the problem, the researchers argue, is that societies with traditional gender roles expect men to be “breadwinners”. Studies show that men who are the main financial provider are more likely to suffer from health problems.

But the picture goes deeper. In the UK, men are being encouraged to discuss mental health as a way to lower suicide rates. In Western Europe, there are 12 suicides per 100,000 men. In Russia, it is almost 50 per 100,000.

“Gender […] is one of the most important sociocultural factors influencing health,” the WHO concluded.

Is feminism good for men?

Boys will be boys

Of course, say some. Traditional masculinity puts immense pressure on men to hide their feelings, work long hours to provide for their family, indulge in reckless behaviour as one of the “lads”, and to generally “man up”. This creates a culture where men are unable to admit to stress or feelings of inadequacy and so turn to unhealthy lifestyles or even suicide.

Don’t be so sure, respond others. Correlation is not causation, and gender inequality is just one symptom of the real problems in these societies. Countries with greater gender inequality also tend to be more autocratic, have a poorer quality of life and lack protections for workers. It’s naive to pin the problems caused by complex social and economic problems on masculinity.