International Men's Day

19 November 2022

International Men's Day

The three core aims for International Men’s Day (19 November 2022) in the UK are:

  • Making a positive difference to the wellbeing and lives of men and boys
  • Raising awareness and/or funds for charities supporting men and boys’ wellbeing
  • Promoting a positive conversation about men, manhood and masculinity.

At Yorkshire Ambulance Service we understand the importance of men’s mental health and wellbeing. The male suicide rate in England is alarming, with current statistics of 15.8 per 100,000 compared to 5.5 per 100,000 in women, with men aged 50-54 being at the highest risk. It’s so important that men talk, express how they are feeling and seek help.

If you are struggling with your mental health, visit the Mental Health Foundation website or NHS website for support.

An increasing number of organisations are using the event to further explore these core themes help to address some of the issues that affect men and boys such as:

  • The high male suicide rate
  • The challenges faced by boys and men at all stages of education and work including attainment, re-training, redundancy and unemployment
  • Men’s health (including male cancers), shorter life expectancy and workplace deaths – plus the health impact of COVID-19
  • The challenges faced by the most marginalised men and boys in society (for instance, homeless men, boys in care, school exclusions and the high rate of male deaths in custody)
  • Male victims of violence, including sexual violence
  • The challenges faced by men as parents, particularly new fathers and separated fathers
  • Male victims and survivors of sexual abuse, rape, sexual exploitation, domestic abuse, forced marriage, honour-based crime, stalking and slavery
  • The negative portrayal of men, boys and fathers.

Visit the International Men’s Day website for more information.

Ten key facts about men and boys' wellbeing (UK) 

Prostate Cancer - On average 12,000 men die from prostate cancer every year. Prostate cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in males in the UK.

Suicide - In 2021, 4,704 men in England, Wales and Scotland took their own lives. Men make up 75% of all deaths by suicide.

COVID-19 mortality rates for working age men are 31 deaths per 100,000 compared with equivalent female death rates of 17 per 100,000, respectively.

University Entry - In September 2021, 45% of university entrants were male.

GCSEs - 46.2% of boys achieved a Grade 5 GCSE or above in English and Maths in 2022 (52.5% were girls). Boys have had worse exam results than girls for 30 years. 

Exclusions - boys continue to have more than three times the number of permanent exclusions than girls, with 3,900 exclusions, compared to 1,200 for girls.

Rough Sleeping - Of the 2,440 estimated to be sleeping rough on a single night in England in 2021, a total of 2,080 were male and 320 were female. Men make up 85% of rough sleepers.

Prison - Men make up 95% of the prison population in the UK.

Domestic Abuse - In 2019-20, 757,000 men (1.56 million women) suffered from domestic abuse – one in three victims are male.

Sexual Violence/Abuse - 155,000 men were estimated to have been victims of sexual assault in 2019-20 (618,000 women). 

Produced by: Corporate Communications Department