World Mental Health Day is October 10. The annual event, established by the World Federation for Mental Health, aims to combat stigma, promote mental health education, and encourage supportive conversations. This year, White Ribbon is taking the opportunity to raise awareness and mobilize efforts in support of men’s mental health.
Known as Canada’s leading organization when it comes to engaging men and boys in ending gender-based violence, White Ribbon is helping change harmful gender norms that impact the mental health of men and boys. They’re achieving these goals by exploring male vulnerability and resilience as well as all-encompassing issues like violence prevention.
Men are socialized to believe that expressing emotion is a sign of weakness. Suppressing emotions can leave men feeling disconnected from their complex feelings and that can lead to difficulty expressing what they are experiencing. That results in poor mental health, lack of emotional connections to loved ones as well as the use of violence and control to address difficult emotions.
White Ribbon teaches men and boys about emotional literacy, healthy masculinity and gender equality so they can embrace the emotions they have kept hidden their whole lives.
Through the creative use of social and mobile tools that inspire men to speak out against gender-based violence, White Ribbon has engaged millions of people, brands, organisations and educators.
Why is mental health a gendered issue?
Humberto Carolo, a globally recognized gender-based violence prevention expert and the Chief Executive Officer for White Ribbon, acknowledges that mental health is a gendered issue and knows healthy masculinities can build resilience improving overall community well-being.
“Mental health is shaped by the pressures and expectations society places on people based on their gender. These norms often determine how we are “allowed” to express emotions, cope with stress, deal with crisis, and seek help,” Carolo told rabble.ca via email.
“For men and boys, expectations around toughness and emotional restraint can discourage vulnerability and silence healthy expression. For women, girls, and gender-diverse people, other gendered expectations, such as caregiving roles or pressure around appearance, create different but equally harmful barriers to well-being,” he added.
Watch the White Ribbon public service announcement: Boys Don’t Cry.
The research paper, Segmenting or Summing the Parts? A Scoping Review of Male Suicide Research in Canada, found over 31 million North Americans have told their sons not to show emotions. This expectation can have severe consequences for boys’ mental health, contributing to depression, anxiety, anger, self-harm as well as harm directed towards others.
Evidence shows that when young men and boys are constrained by rigid gender expectations of masculinity – often referred to as the “manbox” – and outdated social norms, the consequences can be harmful for them and those around them.
Positive mental health for men and boys often begins with challenging narrow definitions of manhood. White Ribbon accomplishes that goal through workshops, presentations and publications that encourage men and boys to step outside the “manbox” and move beyond confining gender norms and expectations.
How healthy masculinity can build resilience and community well-being
Carolo maintains, “Healthy masculinities emphasize empathy, respect, vulnerability, and care, qualities that strengthen both individual resilience and collective well-being. When men and boys are encouraged to express emotions, seek support, and challenge harmful gender norms, they are better equipped to cope with stress and build positive relationships.”
Men who embrace healthier forms of masculinity are less likely to engage in violence, discrimination, or harmful coping strategies. They are also more likely to contribute to safe, supportive environments where everyone can thrive. That not only benefits men and boys, but the people in their families as well as their communities.
By guiding men and boys beyond outdated norms of masculinity and supporting them in redefining what it means to be a man, White Ribbon is helping create a world with many more positive male role models.
Carolo points out, “Fostering healthy masculinities is especially important in a time of rising hate and growing radicalization across North America and around the world. Healthy masculinities call on men and boys to come together in community, feel empathy for others, and actively foster positive change.”
My Friend, Max Hate is a campaign designed to educate parents, caregivers and educators about online misogynistic influencers who groom boys. My Friend, Max Hate exposes how these toxic personalities prey on young men’s insecurities in order to fuel hatred and violence at the very time these boys are at their most vulnerable.
White Ribbon found that 49 per cent of parents are unaware of the hateful and misogynistic online content targeting boys. These young men are easy prey because being constantly on their phones, iPads, computers and playing video games often leaves them feeling disconnected and alone. That void is too easily filled by predatory online personalities who groom vulnerable boys by filling them with toxic ideologies that can turn them into resentful, misogynistic and often violent men.
White Ribbon exposes the tactics of these harmful influencers and provides boys, men, parents, caregivers and educators the tools to recognize and counteract hateful content while fostering respect, empathy, and equality.
The intersectional challenges faced by Black, Indigenous, racialized, 2SLGBTQIA+, and newcomer men
“At White Ribbon, we think it’s necessary to approach men’s mental health from an intersectional perspective. Black, Indigenous, and Racialized, 2SLGBTQ+, and newcomer men face challenges at a much higher rate than their counterparts,” said Carolo.
According to the Mental Health Commission of Canada, Queer men and boys experience suicidal ideation at six times the rate of their heterosexual counterparts. In fact, sexually and gender diverse youth were twice as likely to describe their mental health as poor compared with other bullied youth, according to the Statistics Canada Study: Bullying victimization among sexually and gender diverse youth in Canada. The Mental Health Commission of Canada reported that 36.2 per cent of Black, Indigenous, and Racialized men report a moderate-severe risk of depression compared to 17.6 per cent white men.
“These statistics, however, don’t just raise alarm bells but demonstrate the need to approach the conversation around mental health from an intersectional, highly unique, and culturally responsive lens,” Carolo said.
Experiences of racism, homophobia, transphobia, and the barriers faced by newcomers compound the stigma around seeking help and can worsen mental health outcomes. Addressing these realities requires solutions that recognize the unique challenges faced by different communities in order to ensure equitable access to support, care, and pathways to healing. Another upside is this results in better mental health access for everyone.
White Ribbon is putting the finishing touches on its newest online certificate program that takes a deep dive into masculinities, gender equity and intersectionality. The free program is open to practitioners, educators, people working with men and anyone interested in learning more about these topics. Follow White Ribbon’s social media for updates on its launch.
Actionable ways forward from White Ribbon’s work in schools, workplaces, and communities
The new school year is an opportune time for elementary, secondary and post-secondary students to build safe, supportive environments while replacing harmful, outdated messages with healthier models of masculinity and belonging.
White Ribbon has developed several campaigns and resources including Boys Don’t Cry, Men Don’t Want Flowers, Redefine, and Uncomposed – commemorating White Ribbon’s 30th anniversary – that provide insights into men’s and boys’ mental health and promote positive approaches to fostering healthy masculinity.
“In our work with workplaces, we’ve always emphasized that organizational diversity is only the first step toward meaningful change,” observed Carolo.
To ensure a more inclusive work culture and environment, Carolo says employers should ask these critical questions:
- Who is taking up leadership roles?
- What policies are in place to support staff mental health and survivors of gender-based violence?
- Are employees encouraged to speak up about harmful behaviour or discrimination?
- Are training and development opportunities accessible to all staff?
- How are workplace culture and well-being measured and addressed?
“Asking these questions and working collaboratively to find solutions enables organizations and corporations to create more equitable workplace cultures, which in turn fosters healthier workplace relationships, stronger mental health, and a safer, more inclusive environment for everyone,” Carolo said.
For 30 years, White Ribbon has been promoting gender equity, healthy relationships and a new vision of masculinity in order to ensure a future free from all forms of gender-based violence and discrimination.
Support rabble today!
We’re so glad you stopped by! Thanks for consuming rabble content this year.
rabble.ca is 100% reader and donor funded, so as an avid reader of our content, we hope you will consider gifting rabble with a donation during our summer fundraiser today.
Nick Seebruch, editor
Whether it be a one-time donation or a small monthly contribution, your support is critical to keep rabble writers producing the work you’ve come to rely on as a part of a healthy media diet.
Become a rabble rouser — donate to rabble.ca today.
Nick Seebruch, editor
