International Men’s Day 2021: A Call to Identify the Issues Faced by the Men| अंतर्राष्ट्रीय पुरुष दिवस 2021: जानिए किस कारण मनाया जाता है ये दिन|

International Men's Day 2021: A Call to Identify the Issues Faced by the Men

Are you curious that why hashtags like #Movember, #NoShaveNovember, and #LetItGrow are in trend during the month of November?  The month of November is very important for the male group of humans as it gathers several events that are important to them. Like International Women’s Day, there is a day dedicated to them for masculine gender which is celebrated in the month of November. International Men’s Day is celebrated on November 19 to raise awareness about several issues and health problems related to men.  This day calls for justice and equality by addressing problems of males like that of women.

International Men’s Day in a Flashback

international Men's Day in a Flashback

The International Men’s Day was first introduced on 8th February 1991 but inaugurated on February 7 in 1992 as a project by Thomas Oaster. He successfully promoted the event for the next two years but in 1995 he could not promote the event greatly and decided to cease the plans to continue the event in subsequent years. Later, in 1999 the day was revived by Jerome Teelucksingh, a lecturer from The University of the West Indies at the Families in Action headquarters in Newtown. But he changed the date to celebrate the day. To honour his father, Teelucksingh chooses the birthday of his father i.e. November 19 as International Men’s Day.

The idea of celebrating the day on November 19 has received written support from officials in UNESCO and since then the day has continued to be celebrated till now.  Malta is the country that holds the longest-running celebration of International Men’s Day (IMD) and since 1994, various events have been occurred in Malta to celebrate the day on February 7. But in 2009, the Maltese AMR Committee voted in the favour of changing the date from February 7  to November 19 to celebrate IMD.

Jerome Teelucksingh realized that there was a day for fathers but there was no such day that will honour or respect the men who didn’t have kids or who were young boys or teenagers or are the victims of several health issues. Teelucksingh’s father has always been an excellent example for him, so he understood the importance and positive impact of male role models in society.

How can we participate in the Celebration of International Men’s Day?

How can we participate in the Celebration of International Men’s Day?

This day is an occasion to celebrate boys’ and men’s achievements and their contributions towards society, community, family, marriage, childcare and particularly to the nation. So the ultimate and broader aim of this day is to promote humanitarian values for men in the world. This day is a call to spread awareness towards men’s issues. So, some activities of celebrating International Men’s Day that we can perform are given below:-

  1. Conferences, forums, speeches, public seminars, etc. can be arranged.
  2. An organisation Movember Foundation organizes an annual event with same name Movember in the month of November for raising money for men’s health. So you we can participate in the event to celebrate the day.
  3. Different events in schools and colleges like drawing competition, colourful poster competition, youth parliament, etc. can be arranged.
  4. This day is also a special time to make mention of the brave men who protect our communities whether they are in defence force or emergency services (Police, Fire Fighters, Ambulance Officers, etc.)
  5. Many key people who are connected with charities, religion, government, business and academia can create a fair and safe society for others.
  6. The International Men’s Day also provides a platform to raise awareness about the challenges faced by men in life.
  7. At individual basis you can celebrate the day by spending time with the male members you have in your life and feel free to create and present your own awards that will celebrate the positivity of manhood.
  8. You can also share online wishes related to International Men’s Day, images, quotes and can also prepare hand-made greeting cards with stationery products to wish males of your family.

What is the need to Celebrate International Men’s Day 2021?

What is the need to Celebrate International Men’s Day 2021?

This day is necessary to celebrate because it focuses on the health of the men and improves their health-related issues. International Men’s Day highlights the work of male role models and promotes positive expressions of masculinity. With all this men, also face a series of health challenges that need to be addressed to make our communities function at their fullest potential.

Main Challenges Faced by Men are:

1. Males Suicidal Rate Higher than Females

Males Suicidal Rate Higher than Females

It is believed that in most of the countries around the world, women are more likely to be diagnosed with anxiety, depression and physical violence but still why the suicidal rate of men is several times higher than women? Tragically, suicide is not that rare as we might think. In a global report of WHO issued in 2016, around 793,000 suicide deaths were estimated worldwide and indicated that the major portion of them were men. Men suicidal rate is three times that of women In Australia, 3.5 times more in the US and 4 times more in countries like Russia and Argentina.

We usually say that women are willing to share their problems but men tend to bottle them up. To some extent it is true because for generations many societies have encouraged men to be strong and indirectly forced them to not admit that they are struggling. As a child, we have listened to people saying like ‘boys don’t cry’ or ‘don’t cry like girls’ to boys. This conditioned males from a very young age to not express their emotions because expressing emotions is a sign of weakness. So, one key element to solve this challenge is communication. The more they talk, the more they express and share.

2. Victims of Domestic Violence

Victims of Domestic Violence

In our society women aren’t the only victims of domestic violence. Though it isn’t easy to identify domestic violence against men, but it is a serious threat. Domestic violence can occur in many forms whether it is physical, sexual or emotional abuse. Domestic violence is a result of abusive relationships that often involve an imbalance of power and control. Initially, your partner might seem attentive, loving and protective but later might turn out to be controlling and frightening.

Domestic violence leaves the victim depressed and anxious which in turn lead to substance abuse. Men face difficulties in addressing the issues related to domestic violence as they are traditionally thought to be physically stronger than women. They might also worry that people will not believe a man is a victim of domestic violence because he is a man. But domestic violence can happen in heterosexual, bisexual or homosexual relationships.

3. Average Age of Men is Less than Women

The average age of death of males is less than that of females. According to the studies conducted by medicines and health-related institutes, more men than women under the age of 44 die prematurely across 44 countries. The average life expectancy of a man is below 79.2 years whereas, for a woman, it is around 83.7 years. Why do males in comparison to females die earlier? To say that it is simply a part of nature’s plan is not completely true. The main cause of this scenario can be related to the lifestyle and risks taken by males.

Where some hormones of females provide them with higher life expectance, on the other hand, tension, stress, and other factors pamper the health of males. In comparison to women, men are indulged in high-risk taking activities that include physically dangerous jobs like labouring, mining, playing high impact sports, dangerous driving, etc. This places men at a much higher risk of death at an earlier age than women. Therefore, health practitioners and policy-makers should start to develop better-targeted healthcare services for young men to increase their life expectancy.

4. More Men Suffer from Lung Cancer than Women

Like other challenges, males are more likely to die from cancer than women. Lung cancer can affect both men and women but the difference between their ratios is more striking. Males are 60 per cent more likely to get lung cancer than women whereas 70 per cent of males are more likely to die from it. So, why does this difference exist? Researchers and experts point fingers at two possible explanations that are a lifestyle and a male psyche. Men’s lifestyle includes actions like smoking, drinking, putting weight, taking less exercise. All these things result in several diseases and lung cancer is one of them.

Throughout their lives, women tend to have been in frequent contact with their health professionals like when seeking contraception, at the time of pregnancy, birth and child-rearing. This provides women opportunities to discuss worrying symptoms and also receive guidance about cancer prevention. Apart from lacking in such activities, men have a tendency to hide their issues when it comes to health matters.

5. More Men Suffer from Heart Disease than Women

 More Men Suffer from Heart Disease than Women

Unfortunately, it is true that more men suffer from coronary heart diseases than women and experts still couldn’t find that why heart attacks are more common in men than in women. Biological reasons play a very important role in the difference of heart diseases. When women reach their menopause (time that marks the end of a female’s menstrual cycles) their estrogen level drops and offer them some protection from heart disease. This is why the average age of a heart attack in women is 70 whereas in men it is 66.

Conclusion

When men and women are able to respect and accept their differences then love has a chance to blossom
– Dr John Gray

                                                                                                                                                

If we talk about equality then discussing only one aspect is wrong. Like women, there is a large number of men also who are facing health concerns. At some point, they are facing the above challenges or are going through a stressful situation where the responsibilities of children, life partner, parents, etc. increase the pressure upon them. So, through International Men’s Day 2021, School Megamart is trying to spread awareness about this day to help men to overcome these challenges. So, we are wishing you a very happy International Men’s Day 2021 and hope you celebrate the day to support the males of our society to narrow the gender gap in order to make a peaceful society.

International Men’s Day 2021: FAQs

Q1. What is International Men’s Day celebrated?

Ans. International Men’s Day 2021 is celebrated on 19 November. This day is celebrated to raise awareness about the mental and physical health of men.

Q2. What is the theme of International Men’s Day 2021?

The theme of International Men’s Day 2021 is ‘Better relations between men and women which aims to promote positive masculinity and support ethical male role models.

Q3. What do we do on International Men’s Day 2021?

Ans. It is a great opportunity for us to make a difference in the wellbeing and lives of males in our society. We can:-

  1. Raise awareness by organizing speeches, sharing information about World Men’s Day.
  2. Donate or raise money or funds for charities which are supporting men and boys’ wellbeing.
  3. Promote a positive conversation about men, manhood and masculinity around our surroundings.

Q4. Who created International Men’s Day?

Ans. Jerome Teelucksingh has established and promoted International Men’s Day on 19th November in 1999. He is a lecturer of history at the University of the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago.

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