A third of men aged under 35 worry that admitting to struggling with mental health somehow makes them ‘less masculine’, a survey has suggested.
The poll on men’s emotional and mental health by the charity Future Men also found more than half (51%) of young men believe society expects them to “man up” when faced with challenges.
A similar percentage (52%) of UK adults, both male and female, felt that “crying in front of others” would also make men feel “less masculine”.
The poll, conducted by YouGov, surveyed 2,168 adults, of which 1,005 were male. Forty-two per cent of the men polled felt men were pressured by society’s expectations of them, and 40% thought this led men to suffer from anxiety as a result.
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More than a third (37%) of young men (or those aged 18 to 34) believed that society still expected them to “be the breadwinner” and 49% of the total sample of adults polled believed that “not being able to provide financially” would cause a man to feel emasculated.
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“As we head deeper into a cost of living crisis, these results are deeply concerning” said Owen Thomas, managing director of Future Men.
“These results highlight the urgent need to address negative archaic stereotypes and provide greater support for young men struggling with emotional or mental health problems,” he added.
