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"Involve '04".

Cover Profile

Men are lagging behind women in five of the six health indicators compiled for the government’s 2004 Social Report. The annual Social Report attempts to measure the social wellbeing of a Society with a wider range of indicators than just economic.

There is a nearly five year gap in life expectancy between males and females in New Zealand according to the latest available figures (2000-02). A New Zealand male cannot expect to reach retirement age (65) without a disability that will require assistance by another person or a complex device: this “independent life expectancy” is 64.8 years for men and 67.5 for women. Overall the rate of disability has risen slightly for men between 1996 and 2001 to 10.2% and fallen for women to 9.3%

Men also lead the suicide statistics, with 77% of all suicides being males. Internationally New Zealand is different than most other countries as here it is younger men  (up to 35) who kill themselves, whereas elsewhere men over 65 are most at risk. Within the OECD New Zealand has the worst male youth suicide rate.

The only health indicator where men fared better than women is obesity, although the latest figures in the Social Report were from 1997. 18% of adult non-Maori women were considered obese (28% for Maori), but only 13% of non-Maori males (27% for Maori).

Men were also lagging behind women in some other key indicators, such as satisfaction with work/life balance (women overall happier) and participation in tertiary education. Men are more than twice as likely than women to get injured during work.

Maori were also doing significantly worse than non-Maori in all of the health indicators in the Social Report. A Maori male’s independent life expectancy is a mere 58 years. In most health indicators the gap between males and females is bigger for non-Maori than for Maori.

“Lads Need Whole Person Approach” - Report

A research review about successful approaches for working with young males issued by the Ministry of Youth Development calls for a strength-based approach to youth work centred around ‘anchoring points’.

“Young men need as many ‘anchoring points’ - contact with competent, caring and prosocial adults—as possible.” The review also found that “the more intense a programme is, and the longer it goes for, the more effective it is likely to be.”

The report is critical of ‘educational’ programmes for young men, performed in a group setting and focusing on only one ‘problem’.

“A ‘whole person’ approach works better than a problem focus. Even when addressing specific areas of risk, programmes will be more effective if they engage with young men’s other needs as well.” says the report.

Youth Development Minister John Tamihere had announced in August this year that young males will be one of the government’s top social priorities. He said he was ‘sick and tired’ that young men are being blamed for all and everything that goes wrong.