PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Henry Herrera
Phone: +1-301-801-0608
Email: davia@endtodv.org
Invisible in the Struggle: The Tough Realities Confronting Polish Men
April 11, 2025 — In a world increasingly focused on gender equality, the serious and often life-threatening challenges faced by men in Poland remain largely invisible. From alarming suicide rates to persistent educational gaps and systemic health disparities, Polish men are falling behind in ways too stark to ignore.
Education: In Poland, the gender gap in higher education is growing. While 56% of women complete tertiary education, only 37% of men do the same (1). Among those aged 25 to 34, 43% of women have university degrees, compared to just 29% of men (2). In 2022, tertiary enrollment for men lagged significantly behind women—59.4% versus 91.1% (3).
Health: Life expectancy highlights a stark divide: Polish men live 7.5 years less than women—74.6 years versus 82.1 (4). The male mortality rate is 156.2 per 100,000, almost triple that of women at 59.8 (5).
Homicide: Of the 311 homicides recorded in Poland in 2023, 60% of the victims were men—187 men and 122 women (6).
Suicide: There is a male suicide crisis in Poland. From 2000 to 2019, 85.8% of suicides were committed by men—97,254 out of 113,355 deaths (7). In 2023, 85% of the 6,078 suicides were men (8).
Parenting: In 2018, just 3.5% of divorced fathers were granted sole custody of their children, compared to 36.8% of mothers. Although shared custody was granted in 57.9% of cases, traditional biases continue to shape family court decisions (9).
Domestic Violence: While discussions often focus solely on female victims, 20% of domestic violence victims in Poland are men or children. The Istanbul Convention fails to address this gender-inclusive reality. In 2020 alone, 10,922 men and 5,901 children were identified as suspected victims (10).
Homelessness: Homelessness in Poland is overwhelmingly male. Of 30,330 people without shelter in 2019, 85% were men (11).
Workplace: In 2023, workplace injuries were also disproportionately male: 40,965 men versus 25,824 women were injured on the job (12).
Conclusion: The hardships faced by men in Poland are part of a broader international trend. Yet the data is clear: these challenges are severe and require urgent action. We call on Polish policymakers, researchers, and advocates to join the International Council for Men and Boys in ensuring that gender equality includes men and boys.
The International Council for Men and Boys is a non-governmental organization that is working to celebrate the contributions of men to society and to end the 12 sex disparities that affect men and boys around the world. Achieving #GenderEqualityForMen also will benefit women. https://www.menandboys.net/
Links:
2.https://joinme2.org/files/country-specific-text-sample-pl.pdf
3.https://genderdata.worldbank.org/en/indicator/se-ter-enrr?gender=male
4.https://www.statista.com/statistics/1120966/poland-life-expectancy-at-birth-by-gender/
5. https://genderdata.worldbank.org/en/indicator/sp-dyn-amrt
6. https://datosmacro.expansion.com/demografia/homicidios/polonia
8. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1101450/poland-number-of-suicides-by-gender/
9. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ei1dFGDMaMYJxMyIjk82x0-Fejs4ARBM/view?usp=sharing
10. https://x.com/MagdaKorzekwa/status/1372499971933679618
11. https://webfs.oecd.org/Els-com/Affordable_Housing_Database/Country%20notes/Homelessness-POL.pdf
12. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1113454/poland-persons-injured-at-work-accidents-by-gender/