Social Determinates In Men's Health

The area of men's health is a new and rapidly developing area. As yet health services have only begun to consider the social determinants that lead to much higher risk factors for most leading causes of stress, illness and death for men than other social groups.

To give an over view of the social forces on men the major institutions in Australia today needed to be examined in details and men's stories about what happens in those institutions needs to be listened to. While much more detail is needed to be able to "see" and take measures against the bad effects of institutions on men understanding the overall nature of the issue is important and needs to be mentioned as a key area of men's health work.

More detailed discussion of the issues is found on the Sydney Men's Network web site at http://www.mensnetwork.com.au. Particularly in the articles "An Introduction to Men's Liberation" and "A Draft Policy for Men's Liberation" that discusses in depth the intuitional effects on men's live and measure that may be taken to improve men's lives

The effect of institutions is over the whole of a life time. The shape of the effect on men is worth mentioning.

The institution of the family, schools, religions are where the basic setup of what it is to be male is begun. Fathers get forced out of the family into work as conditions become more difficult. While fathers have to provide support to the family, most support for fathers, needs to be from outside the family due to the issue of dependency.

The military institution defends Australia's place in the world economy and border territorial security. It is men who make up the main group who's lives are lost in war. I do understand that the general population of the target country looses the most lives in modern warfare however modern warfare occurs almost exclusively in third world countries, with western world military men's lives lost in these wars.

The work place is where the basic social production occurs and men are raised to play the key life long role at work for the society.

The police, courts and prisons enforce the values and rules that society runs by. Men are the group who are mostly both in and the target of these institutions.

The institutions that are setup to allow men to keep going in the face of stress and other "life reducing factors" is the Sports, drugs legal and illegal and sex industries. While these institutions capture the main focus of attention of men the energy and will to face and work through issues that lead to resolution of real issues remain diffuse.

Paul Whyte Sydney Men's Network March 2009