By Josephine Macleod

It can be argued that the welfare state in the United Kingdom favours women more than men, according to research.

The aftermath of the First World War boosted demands for social reform, and led to a permanent increase in the role of the government in British society. By the end of the Second World War it became an absolute necessity that the welfare State was here to stay due to the level of poverty and squalor in the State.

 Occurring at the same time the welfare State was taking its final shape, the women’s liberation movement, which was a collective struggle for equality, was most active during the late 1960s and 1970s. The struggle which sought to free women from oppression and male supremacy finally saw to the benefits and preferences of women in the welfare of citizens till day.

For instance, child benefits can be paid to women or men but women are encouraged to receive it over their male counterparts.

READ ALSO: Domestic Violence: A society biased against males?

Moreover, the rate of mental health issues and suicide rates in men are skyrocketing. Could it be based on societal, marital, emotional, financial issues or could it be also the combination of divorce rates in the UK which has skyrocketed, while the percentage of people getting married is falling dramatically?

What could be the reasons for these changes? In a recent survey, some men argued that male depression and suicide rate are a combination of many issues. For instance, when there are problems in a marriage, according to a particular gentleman, “the police will normally ask the man to leave the home without ascertaining if the man has anywhere to go.”

This practice is usually based on the safety of the woman. He further went on to say, ” although this action is done to protect women against domestic violence, a lot of women have taken advantage of this practice, which can be very unfair on men, especially if the story of violence is made up.

No to violence against women

 Domestic violence against women should never be condoned, however a woman should not take advantage of a situation and lie about being abused physically or mentally by a man.

“The first response of the police is to ask the man to take a walk without putting into consideration if the man is a contributor to the mortgage and the welfare of the child/children, if any.

Research also tells us that the courts also favour women in divorce financial settlements, and child maintenance. Men are more likely not to seek proper legal advice to get their legal rights protected. Some professionals believe that men usually do not want to pay the high cost of a proper legal counsel due to financial setbacks.

Invariably, they end up losing out on a fair settlement whereas the Court’s empathy mostly tends to pitch towards the woman, especially if the man is the major earner in the marriage.

It has been suggested that these actions have affected a lot of men both mentally, emotionally and financially, which most likely is a contributory factor to the alarming high rate of suicide and mental ill-health in men.

Other factors can also be attributed to unemployment, poverty, loneliness, drug abuse, the sense of lack of purpose in life.

However, another very important factor that is being overlooked is the high expectations on men by society, parents and even spouses to be the main bread winner. The pressures can, sometimes, be overwhelming for some men, especially when they are expected to be successful at all cost.

Men also cry, but…

“Men also do cry” another man said. “Men have emotions just like women, but socialisation have raised men not to express their emotions from a very tender age. The end result is what we are experiencing now.”

On this note the question could easily be raised: is socialisation at fault here or is it marital, emotional or social-economic factors that is responsible for the increase in men’s mental health and suicide rates against the female counterpart?

Recent statistics by #those#leftbehind organization show that 75% of suicides are men. A very alarming and worrying rate, indeed.

It is also stated that an important factor that is being over looked after all said is the aftermath of the recent development of Covid-19 pandemic, which has managed to burst the mental health bubble further for all strata of our society, most especially in youth, middle-aged and elderly men, bearing in mind that it has been suggested that societal pressure is more on men than their female counterpart.

To close, this is a tip of the iceberg on Men Matter!

Vanguard News Nigeria