Abstract

This thesis investigates the state of men's health, which is in silent crisis. The male mortality rate is 60% higher then the female mortality rate in Canada. Furthermore it is higher for all 10 leading causes of death. The difference in life expectancy is over 5 years between men and women. Contributing to their early demise are so-called preventable deaths, homicide, suicide, vehicle accidents and work accidents which are much more prevalent among males than females. In the U.S. from infancy, males die and suffer serious illnesses at greater rates than females. In fact between the age of 15 and 24, male die at a rate more than three times that of females. This constitutes a silent health crisis---silent because it is not acknowledged, it is in fact, ignored. In Canada there are five Centres of Excellence devoted to women's health---yet there are none for men's health, which is far worse. In the U.S., the morbidity and mortality rates are proportionally similar. There are eleven Specialized Centers of Research for Women's Health, and none for men. We will explore in this thesis both the reasons for men's ill health relative to women's, and the paradox of the silence. Three major theoretical perspectives: the bio-medical, the environmental, and lifestyle, are examined extensively, as are gender specific theories concerning the role that masculinity plays in contributing to male health. Lastly, I present recommendations for improving men's health. Not only is there an appalling loss of men's lives and to a lesser extent women's for many reasons, but also it is extremely expensive. The economic costs of male potential years of life lost in 2001 (U.S. data), amounted to $329,836, million dollars per annum. This money would be better invested in preventive care and Centers of Excellence devoted to men's health.