Men’s Mental Health as a Gender Equality Imperative
Written by: Koketso Sekhu – Gauteng Education Officer/Acting Deputy Director: Public Education and Information.
June marks Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month, an important moment for South Africa to confront a growing yet often invisible crisis. The urgency of this issue is reflected in national statistics. According to World Health Organization (WHO), South Africa records approximately 13,774 suicide deaths annually, with about 10,861 of these being men, meaning nearly 80% of all suicides are male. Furthermore, men are estimated to be four to five times more likely to die by suicide than women. These figures point not only to a mental health crisis, but to a profound gender disparity.
This disparity is not accidental, but rooted in deeply embedded social norms that shape how boys and men are taught to experience and express emotion. Research consistently shows that dominant models of masculinity reward silence, self-reliance, and emotional restraint, while discouraging vulnerability and help-seeking. From a young age, boys are socialised to endure hardship without complaint, an expectation that, over time, becomes both a coping mechanism and a risk factor.
In the South African context, these pressures are compounded by structural inequalities. Poverty, unemployment, violence, and social exclusion intersect with gender norms to produce distinct patterns of psychological distress. Evidence by WHO indicates that men are less likely to access mental health services and more likely to engage in harmful coping strategies, including substance abuse and risk-taking behaviours. These dynamics contribute to lower life expectancy among men and reinforce cycles of unaddressed trauma.
Importantly, masculinity in itself is not the problem. The issue lies in rigid and exclusionary forms of masculinity that constrain emotional expression and reinforce stigma. When men are denied safe spaces to process grief, stress, and anxiety, silence becomes normalised even when it is dangerous. Addressing men’s mental health, therefore, is not separate from gender equality but is central to it.
A rights-based approach requires recognising men’s mental health as integral to dignity, equality, and wellbeing. In this regard, the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) has a critical oversight role in ensuring that policies and programmes respond meaningfully to gendered mental health outcomes.
South Africa’s National Mental Health Policy Framework and Strategic Plan 2023–2030 represents an important step forward. It acknowledges the role of social determinants, including gender, and promotes a comprehensive approach spanning prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation. However, its gender responsiveness remains broad rather than targeted. The absence of specific strategies addressing men’s mental health risks overlooking how harmful masculinity norms contribute to underreporting, delayed help-seeking, and high suicide rates.
Closing this gap requires a more deliberate, multi-sectoral response. Workplaces must move beyond compliance-driven approaches and create environments where psychological wellbeing is actively supported, and where men feel safe to seek help. Communities and families must challenge harmful norms that equate masculinity with silence, and media and public leaders could actively reframe vulnerability as strength, rather than weakness.
Reimagining masculinity is essential. It requires moving from a model rooted in endurance and emotional suppression to one grounded in openness, care, and relational wellbeing. Advancing gender equality means addressing both the structural disadvantages faced by women, gender diverse individuals, and the harmful norms that place men at risk. When men are supported to express vulnerability, access care, and live fuller emotional lives, the benefits extend beyond individuals to families, communities, and society as a whole.