International Men’s Day

International Men’s Day is an occasion for men to celebrate their achievements and contributions, in particular their contributions to community, family, marriage, and child care while highlighting the discrimination against them.

Who celebrates?

Everyone – it’s a global awareness day!

How do people celebrate?

People and organisations celebrate by raising awareness of men’s physical and mental health challenges, recognising that true gender equality means equality for both sexes and celebrating the men who represent authentic gender inclusion.

What should I know?

• Objectives of International Men’s Day include a focus on men’s and boy’s health, improving gender relations, promoting gender equality, and highlighting positive male role models
• International Men’s Day is also linked to Movember; when men grow a moustache to raise awareness for men’s health, in particular prostate cancer and mental health
• Men have a 3 times higher suicide rate than women in the UK.

How can I support others?

• Recognise that gender discrimination in the UK happens to both gender, men’s role in the family and the importance of discussing men’s mental health
• Educate yourself and your team on the challenges facing men in the UK
• Use the opportunity to talk colleagues about any gender imbalance that exists within your volunteer, employee and service user population and what you’re doing to address it
• Recognise any bias you may have about gender roles in our society and make a public commitment to manage one of your biases
• Give a shout out to the positive role models in your life and organisation.

International Men’s Day activity guide: https://internationalmensday.com/things-to-do/

The challenges facing men: https://internationalmensday.com/challenges/

International Men’s Day UK: https://ukmensday.org.uk/how-to-mark-imd-in-2021