Rachel Moore

It sounded like a joke or a Spitting Image sketch. 

A middle-aged male politician in a suit – the epitome of the phrase ‘male, pale and stale’ - demanding a dedicated minister to champion men’s problems.

Men’s needs had long been neglected. Women had a dedicated minister and men should have one too, MP Nick Fletcher said, in dead seriousness. 

What do we want? A minister for men. When do we want it? Now.

It felt like the comments rolled out year on year on International Women’s Day. 

“What about a Men’s Day,” men ask.

“Every day is men’s day,” we chorus with an eye roll.

Only the call for a men’s minister isn’t a joke and shouldn’t be taken as one.

Men are suffering serious spiralling issues. Men of all ages are victims of specifically male problems so dedicating resources and energy to why and how these issues are happening and finding solutions would help create a better society for everyone.

We’re not talking about bruised egos, perceived emasculation and resentment that “women have it all their own way” so why not men – I’d be driving a Bentley and living it up in a lavish retirement if I’d had a tenner for every time I’ve heard that.

Suicide rates, especially in young men, are shocking. Three quarters of suicides are men. In 2022, a man took his life every two hours.

Homelessness, crime – 99% of the prison population are men – and underachieving at school affect men most. 

Fathers are far more likely to lose contact with their children post-break up depriving sons of a role model.

Men die younger, are more obese and suffer rocketing health issues.

Prostate cancer is no longer a disease of just the over-50s. Cases among people under 50 rose threefold between 1990 and 2019 and it’s the biggest killer of men.

Often, it’s found to late because men are reluctant to seek medical help. 

All the above combine into a pretty compelling case that the lot of man, with all the privileges and advantages they have enjoyed since time in memoriam, isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Throw into that mix the whole toxic masculinity movement, and they deserve some help in many ways to make the world a better place.

It feels strange to write these words after years railing against the gender pay gap, inequality, misogyny,– and institutional misogyny – prejudice and the general unfairness women face every day.

But statistics and data don’t lie. We have multiple problems among men that will be repeated generation on generation unless action is taken.

Men don’t help themselves though, blaming their ills on persecution by women and a society seeking equality.

I don’t have to look for daily misogyny. The comments at the end of my columns offer a smorgasbord of misogyny and bigotry aimed at a female who dares to have opinions hiding behind made up names to throw insults.

A minister for men and a men’s health strategy would be a welcome move to create a healthier, more balanced and equitable nation.

While they’re at it, a minister for humanity, decency and treating everyone well wouldn’t go amiss.

What happened to female solidarity?

Sometimes women are their own worst enemies. 

Public arguments between women like Love islanders Maura Higgins and Faye Winter alleged hour-long row this week at the NTSs involving shoe throwing do women no favours.

Women supporting women is the mantra, helping each other up and backing women when they’re wronged. It’s just a shame few women who say it mean it.

Increasingly, noticeably in professional environments, women are comfortable pulling other women down and actively working against them, pointing out faults and making women feel uncomfortable.

Whether it’s envy, competition or just nastiness, it’s a depressing spectacle.

I heard recently about a group of women who had a WhatsApp group lusting about an anatomical part of a senior executive in an international company.

Isn’t this the objectifying women fought for years to quash?

Now women are doing it to men? It’s appalling.

It’s depressing to witness women’s disrespect of other women and lack of solidarity and displaying behaviour that horrified us when men did it.

Vet sector needs transparency

Anyone who has been though a vet’s door knows there’s a bill for everything.

Eye watering treatment costs feel like a licence to print money.

Now we know that vet fees were rising faster than other goods and services during the cost-of-living crisis, according to Consumer champion Which?’s survey.

With two thirds of UK households having pets since the pandemic, we need to know we’re getting value for money and not being ripped off in a specialist area we know nothing about.

Hopefully this will be the first step to transparency in what feels like an opaque sector when it comes to billing. 

Adverts aimed at me are a concern

People who swear by their video doorbells but won’t have an Alexa in the house because “it spies on us” make me laugh.

Data is being collected on us from every gadget we have.

None of it bothers me. Good luck to any spy bots that finds anything remotely interesting in my daily life.

I’m more concerned what the adverts on the TV I choose to watch say about  me and the age I’ve reached -  promoting home living aids, orthopaedic beds and funeral plans.