How does being a man affect my life?
How does being a man affect my life?
Most men are unaware of the countless ways our beliefs about masculinity affects our lives. Countless men make many valuable contributions to their families, communities and country. However, there is significant evidence that men as a group, are struggling. The ongoing joke about men being reluctant to ask for directions for driving is a symptom of a larger, more serious problem. Most men struggle with asking for help of any kind. Many men struggle with expressing emotions. Others find that anger is the only acceptable emotion they can express. Many men also struggle with intimate relationships, those relationships which are crucial for men’s life satisfaction. Other men experience low self-esteem and self-doubt because they feel like they never measure up to their own and/0r society’s definition of what it means to be a man. While men as a group, particularly white heterosexual men, have great power and privilege as a group, individually, many men occasionally feel inadequate or less powerful than they would like. Some men resort to violence as a way to cope with feelings of hurt, powerlessness and frustration. While most men are not violent, most acts of violence that occur in the world are committed by men. Young men sometimes engage in risky or unhealthy behavior to “prove” they are a man. All of these factors contribute to men’s life expectancy being four to seven years less than women’s life expectancy.
To gain some insight into how being a man affects your life, explore our website, take the Man Quiz, and read about the male socialization process and Men’s health crisis which affects all of us.
