We are living in a time of undeniable social progress — and profound human strain. While much has rightly been achieved in advancing women’s rights, we are also confronting a quieter, more uncomfortable reality: our men and boys are facing a crisis.
Locally and globally, men are dying at alarming rates. Between 2020 and 2023, approximately 83 per cent of suicide deaths in this country were men — four out of every five cases. Even in 2023, when overall suicide numbers declined, men still accounted for 78 per cent of deaths.
Men die by suicide almost four times as often as women, not because they suffer less, but because they seek help less and often use more lethal means. Men also make up approximately 90 per cent of our homicide victims. Life expectancy reflects this toll: men live, on average, seven years fewer than women. These are not just statistics — they are fathers, sons, brothers, and friends.
None of this diminishes the real and ongoing struggles women face. Violence against women, sexual harassment, unequal pay, and caregiving burdens remain urgent issues that demand continued action. A society can advantage men as a group while still failing boys and men in their health, education, and emotional well-being. Public health works best when we address risk where it actually shows up.
The social landscape has changed dramatically over the last five decades. The women’s movement rightly challenged artificial barriers in education, employment, and pay — and when those doors opened, women excelled. Today, women now outnumber men in universities globally, with some countries showing a 13 per cent gap in degree attainment favouring women. In schools, girls dominate top academic performance, while boys disproportionately occupy the bottom.
This reversal matters. Education systems were not redesigned with boys in mind. Boys mature later neurologically; their prefrontal cortex — responsible for planning, impulse control, and organisation — develops one to two years after girls. Yet we expect identical classroom behaviour and academic pacing. When boys struggle, we often label the child rather than examine the system. The United States CDC’s data shows boys were about twice as likely to be diagnosed with either ADHD or a learning disability compared with girls.
At the same time, boys are increasingly disengaging. Many retreat into virtual worlds of gaming, pornography, and endless scrolling — spaces engineered to capture attention and provide instant gratification. Excessive digital exposure has been linked to anxiety, depression, poor impulse control, and social withdrawal.
Beyond education, men are struggling to adapt to changing gender roles. Traditional expectations of being provider, protector, and authority figure no longer define manhood — yet many boys were never taught what should replace them. Some men have problems adjusting to this new world, reacting poorly to shifts in work, relationships, and identity. Unemployment, underemployment, and role confusion leave many feeling invisible and purposeless.
Family structure compounds this. More children are born outside marriage, and after separation, boys are more likely to grow up without daily contact with their fathers. While single mothers often do heroic work, father absence disproportionately affects boys, increasing risks of academic failure, substance use, and later disengagement from work and family life — creating an intergenerational cycle.
Mental distress in men often looks different. Depression may show up as anger, irritability, somatic pain, substance use, risk-taking, or silence. From childhood, boys are taught to “be strong,” not cry, and handle problems alone. Stigma imprisons them — both the stigma of vulnerability and of seeking mental healthcare.
This is not a competition of suffering. Men and women face different risks. Women face higher risks of sexual violence and exploitation; men face higher risks of suicide, violent death, homelessness, and educational disengagement. Both realities can coexist — and both deserve attention.
We must redefine masculinity for a changing world. Strength is not emotional silence; courage is not avoidance. Strong men are not those who feel nothing, but those who face their feelings and seek help when needed.
If we want healthier societies, we must raise boys who know their emotions matter, their lives matter, and that help is always available — while continuing to protect, empower, and advance the rights of women.
The future depends on caring for both.
Today, I am presenting at the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Men and Boys (IDEVAMB) conference in Tobago. This observance was first launched in 2020 by Dr Jerome Teelucksingh, who must be acknowledged for bringing to the forefront the urgent need to highlight these challenges and provide relief to our distraught men and boys.
