One of the biggest holes in feminist patriarchy theory (which states that society was created by men for men at the expense of women) is the fact that in almost all countries men commit suicide at much higher rates than women, so in response, a feminist will usually copy and paste some blarb about how Toxic Masculinity^TM causes men to commit suicide. So today, I am going to debunk that blarb.

Some Background about male suicide

History of male suicide

Men have been committing suicide more often than women in the UK since 1860s (thats as far as the statistics go usually) Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20519333/

In the USA, men have been committing suicide more than women since the 1950s (as far back as the statistics go) Source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/187478/death-rate-from-suicide-in-the-us-by-gender-since-1950/

So this isn't a new issue by any means

Worldwide statistics

In all countries, men commit suicide more than women (for some reason they say most of the suicide victims are women in China but the table shows the opposite, so I am a bit confused). Source: https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/suicide-rate-by-country

Why male suicide is not caused by toxic masculinity

Myth #1: Men don't seek help

They usually say men commit suicide is due to men not talking about their issues or resisting therapy. This is NOT true.

According to a study by the University of Manchester, almost all men who committed suicide went to therapy or sought help atleast once:

" Most (91%) middle-aged men had been in contact with at least one front-line service or agency, ranging from within 1 week of death (38%) to more than 3 months prior to death (49%), most often primary care services (82%); half (50%) had been in contact with mental health services, 30% with the justice system (i.e. police, probation or prison services). 2% were in contact with employment services, despite the high rates of unemployment found; overall 67% had been in recent contact with services (i.e. within 3 months of death), mainly primary care (43%)."

So NO! It is NOT because men don't talk about their issues.

Myth #2: Women attempt suicide more, men just use more dangerous methods

This one is false as well. According to a study, even when suicide methods are controlled, men still commit suicide at higher rates than women.

"However, except for drowning, case fatalities were higher for males than for females within each method. This was most apparent in “hanging” (men 83.5%, women 55.3%; φ = − 0.28; p < 0.001) and “poisoning by drugs” (men 7.2%, women 3.4%; φ = − 0.09; p < 0.001)."

Additionally, women may do what is called a 'suicidal gesture' as opposed to a serious suicide attempt (SSA) or might self harm which can be taken as an attempt if they go to the hospital.

According to a study, men were much more likely to make an SSA (Serious Suicide Attempt) than women:

"A significant association between suicide intent and gender was found, where ‘Serious Suicide Attempts’ (SSA) were rated significantly more frequently in males than females (p < .001). There was a statistically significant gender difference in intent and age groups (p < .001) and between countries (p < .001). Furthermore, within the most utilised method, intentional drug overdose, ‘Serious Suicide Attempt’ (SSA) was rated significantly more often for males than females (p < .005)."

Suicide prevention programs help females more than males

According to this study, existing suicide prevention programs help females more than males:

"The results that feature programming effects for both males and females are provocative, suggesting that when gender differences are evident, in almost all cases, females seem to be more likely than males to benefit from existing prevention programming"

According to this article, men DO go to therapy, but they benefit from it less and many leave:

"The most common reason for dropping out of treatment was reported as a lack of connection or understanding on the part of the therapist (54.9%). Men also reported that therapy was unhelpful or “didn’t feel right” (20.2%). Expense and a logistical inconvenience were also reported as a leading reason for drop-out (18%). Only 5.5% of men dropped out of treatment because they felt as though their issues had been resolved. Men in the study spoke about feeling emasculated by the process of therapy. Younger men and those without jobs were the most likely to drop out due to lack of connection with their therapist or the feeling that therapy was “not working”. Clinical psychologist and study author, Dr Zac Seidler, told SBS that, traditionally, men haven’t been “consumers of mental health services”. Because of this, mental health treatment is frequently created or advertised “with women in mind,” he said. Waiting rooms in therapists’ offices are often filled with women’s magazines and use branding that appeals to women. And apparently, this can lead men to think, ‘This is not for me. This is not where I’m supposed to be,” Dr Seidler explained."

Conclusion

So men DO go to therapy before committing suicide, do more serious suicide attempts, and commit suicide more even when methods are controlled for. Additionally, suicide prevention programs help women more and men drop off therapy because it simply isn't designed for them.

It is NOT toxic masculinity, it is lack of care and exclusion of men, pure and simple!