Written by: Brynn Legros
Edited by: Shruti Shaji
Men and women are seemingly on opposite ends of the gender binary in the realm of
emotional expression. This is due to a variety of social constructions that stunt men’s ability to express emotions, but not their ability to feel them. Due to this, the overall reported prevalence of mental illness among males is much lower overall compared to women. These statistics can partly be attributed to male social norms and stigma surrounding men and how and why they express themselves;this dilemma has dire consequences (Chatmon, 2020). So what is the masculine norm, what is stigma, and how do these conventions negatively impact men's mental health?
The masculine norm is a standard of masculinity that is prevalent not only in the United
States but also globally. These standards of masculinity constrict the range of men’s
comfortability with emotional expression because such emotional expression goes against the masculine norms of dominance, strength and power. An example of how the masculine norm affects men is toxic masculinity (Chatmon , 2020). Toxic masculinity is the result of pressure on males to be stoic, leading to difficulty in expressing emotions among men (Rivera & Scholar, 2020). Some consequences of these rigid masculine norms include worsening depression and anxiety, substance abuse, issues in personal relationships including interpersonal violence and feelings of discouragement for seeking help (Chatmon, 2020). The masculine norm is also related to societal stigma. Stigma refers to the negative attitudes of a person or group based on specific traits. Men experience a lot of stigma surrounding their mental health, being judged by society when in need of help. This social stigma about men and mental illness is often internalized, and therefore men can experience self-stigma surrounding their mental well-being. leading them to feel weak or broken when they are in need of help (Rivera & Scholar, 2020).
These societal constructions of masculine norms have several negative mental health
impacts on men. (Steele and Scholars, 2014). Even though depression and anxiety are most
highly reported by women, depression and suicide are still ranked as a leading cause of death among men in the United States with an estimated six million men affected by depression (Chatmon, 2020). This disproportionality is a possible effect of toxic masculinity and harmful masculine norms placed on men that restrict them from reaching out. Men’s repressed emotions not only harm them, but also women and children. Toxic masculinity is associated with increased risk of violence in and outside of the home and reduced capacity to uphold caretaking positions for men (Rivera & Scholar, 2020). The social stigma surrounding mental health and seeking treatment is actually killing men and women in the United States and therefore, immediate awareness needs to be brought to this issue.
One of the ways that this issue can be resolved is by enforcing awareness programs that
specifically target gender norms. These programs provide information about mental illness and open up a safe space for boys and men to release and express their emotions without judgement as well as providing therapy and mental health services specifically tailored for men and their experiences. The overall answer to this issue is gender equality through a universal message that mental health and taking care of it is important regardless of gender. It is crucial for parents of young boys and girls to implement the idea that it is always important to reach out when in need of help. As a society, we need to get rid of the notion that men can’t express emotions without being weak or powerless and highlight the real power in taking control of one’s mental wellbeing.
References
Chatmon, B.N. (2020). Males and mental health stigma. American Journal of Men's Health,
Rivera, A., & Scholar, J. (2020). Traditional masculinity: A review of toxicity rooted in social
norms and gender socialization. Advances in Nursing Science, 43(1), E1-E10.
https://doi.org/10.1097/ANS.0000000000000284
Steel, Z., Marnane, C., Iranpour, C., Chey, T., Jackson, J. W., Patel, V., & Silove, D. (2014 The
global prevalence of common mental disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis
1980–2013. International Journal of Epidemiology, 43(2), 476–493.
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