Health

Men's health is an important gender equality policy issue in terms of costs, privileges and differences between men. The costs of masculinity(ies) are the first thing that catch the eye: various data point to a range of problems in the area of men's health, such as the fact that men in Austria have a life expectancy that is around 5 years lower than that of women or the significantly higher rates of lung cancer, accidents, suicides, alcoholism and addiction.

This is closely linked to social expectations of men: a careful and precautionary lifestyle is devalued. (Media) male images of toughness and invulnerability dominate. Abusive terms such as "hothead" or "curve-braker" reflect this pressure on men to always be tough and willing to take risks. As a result, men overestimate their own resilience. Health considerations play a subordinate role. Risky behaviour in various areas of life (work, sport, nutrition, road traffic, etc.) already plays an important role for young men in order to perceive and show themselves as a "real guy".

The differences between different groups of men are central to the health costs of masculinity/masculinity: in many areas of health, the "social gradient" is more pronounced for men than for women, i.e. societal and social inequalities have a particularly strong impact on the health of certain groups of men. For example, the life expectancy of men in privileged social positions differs only slightly from that of women. In socio-economically disadvantaged population groups, however, the life expectancy of men is significantly lower than that of comparable female groups. Socially disadvantaged male target groups bear the highest health burden when traditional ideas of masculinity and, for example, scarce living space, low financial resources, unhealthy working conditions, etc. interact.

Privileges for men with regard to health can be seen where there is a "bonus" for men in the healthcare system in the event of an emergency. This means that more medical equipment is used for male patients than for women or that the reasons for rescue operations are taken more seriously. In terms of health-related physical norms, obesity is also more accepted among men and is less socially devalued than among women. However, there is growing pressure on men to conform to the beauty ideal of the youthful, muscular man and to bring increasing sales to the market for various health and cosmetic products. This obligation for physical self-optimisation is diverting society's attention from much more pressing problems when it comes to men's health.

What is the DMÖ committed to?

In the area of men's and boys' health, a fundamental social awareness of the problem is needed first, as well as targeted educational work in which the costs of certain ideals of masculinity are clearly named. The next step is to strengthen activities that promote men's health in the long term, for example:

• More prevention programmes for boys/young men with a target group-specific approach, e.g. dealing with risk competence as a catalyst for health issues
• Workplace health promotion projects, especially for men in the low-wage sector
• The development of positive images of men's health that utilise men's resources
• Increased interventions in the area of mental health, for example through the nationwide establishment and development of men's counselling centres, as well as training and further education for mental health professionals in the field of men's counselling
• Closing gaps in access to health for socially disadvantaged target groups. It is also important to create low-threshold access, overcome possible language barriers and develop approaches for health literacy among men

These approaches require an integrative perspective with regard to women's health, the regional perspective, aspects of social inequality, etc., in order not to produce new biases or unintentionally promote existing inequalities.