When Masculinity Becomes Toxic


Physical Health Effects: How they start

       Men are more likely to participate in behaviors that harm and endanger their health (source).

According to this meta-analysis, compared to women:

Men are more likely to:

  • be overweight
  • binge drink 
  • use drugs 
  • have unsafe sex 
  • engage in high-risk behaviors
  • be a passenger of a drunk driver

Men are less likely to:

  • exercise
  • take vitamins
  • use sunscreen
  • report symptoms of an illness (source)
  • seek preventative medicine (source)
  • see their doctor  (source)
    • even after you account for only women having to see doctors for reproductive reasons

If you look at men who have rigid beliefs about what it means to be a man, 

  • they are even more likely to
  • and even less likely to
    • feel happy with their life overall (source)
    • take care of their health (source)

Even looking at only men and women with health problems, men are over 2 times as likely to not have recent contact with a physician (source). There are multiple expectations for male behavior that can encourage men to risk their health by ignoring feelings of pain, discomfort, or sickness.

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Many of the ways men act in order to protect their reputation or status as a man are destructive to their physical health, such as:

  • "Men are strong, powerful, invincible" = men deny any weakness, sickness, or vulnerability
    • ex. refusing to see a doctor for an injury = injury gets infected
  • "Men are independent and self-sufficient" = men don't ask for help
    • ex. trying to lift something that is too heavy for one person to life = injury occurs
  • "Men are athletic and fit" = men feel pressure to always exercise
    • ex. participating in sports or working out even when sick = sickness worsens
  • "Men are assertive and tough" = men use aggression or force to convey emotions
    • ex: punching a wall when one is angry = broken hand
  • "Men are brave and courageous" = men act impulsively
    • ex. excess use of drugs or alcohol, unsafe sex, etc. = various consequences
  • "Men are sexual by nature" = men feel pressure to have sex even if they don't want to
    • ex. having sex when injured = injury worsens

       
       If men feel like it will emasculate them to say they are in pain, that they’re too tired for sex, or that they need someone’s assistance, they could act in ways that make their health issues even worse (source). 

       Negative aspects of masculinity (like homophobia) are associated with longer delays before seeking help while positive aspects of femininity (like empathy) are positively associated with practicing good health care (source).


       

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