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PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Henry Herrera
Phone: +1-301-801-0608
Email: info@menandboys.net
Urgent Call for Equality: The Overlooked Difficulties Faced by Men in Canada
March 20, 2025 – Despite progress toward gender equality, men continue to face inequalities that require urgent attention. In this release, we will focus on Canada, where an equitable approach is needed to ensure male well-being and justice
Education:
In Canada, men face a significant educational gap in higher education. In 2020, 334,000 women earned a postsecondary certificate, diploma, or degree, compared to only 254,421 men, a difference of nearly 80,000 graduates (1). By 2021, 1.2 million women were enrolled in postsecondary institutions, while 931,220 men pursued higher education, showing a gap of almost 270,000 students. (2) Additionally, 75% of women aged 25 to 34 had a tertiary education, compared to just 58% of men, highlighting a growing disparity in academic attainment. (3)
Health:
The life expectancy for women was 83.58 years, four years higher than that of men, which was 79.12 years (4). In 2021, the adult mortality rate in Canada was significantly higher for men than for women. For every 1,000 adults, there were 100.1 male deaths, compared to 55.3 female deaths (5).
Suicide:
In Canada, the suicide rate among males has consistently been approximately three times that of females over the past two decades. In 2021, there were 14.9 suicide deaths per 100,000 men, compared to only 4.9 per 100,000 women. (6)
Homicide:
In 2023, Canada recorded a total of 769 homicides, of which 205 were committed against women and 564 against men. (7)
Domestic violence:
The Canadian General Social Survey on Victimization highlights that intimate partner violence (IPV) against men is a significant yet underreported issue. 2.9% of men have experienced physical and/or sexual violence in the past five years, surpassing 1.7% of women. Additionally, 35% of male victims have endured extreme controlling behaviors (“intimate terrorism”), compared to 34% of female victims. Severe violence combined with control affects 22% of male victims and 19% of female victims. While women report more immediate injuries, PTSD symptoms are similar across genders, emphasizing the need to recognize and address male victimization. (8)
Parenting:
There appears to be a custody bias in favor of women in Canada. According to the latest report from the Department of Justice, 79.3% of children under the age of 12 are placed under the exclusive custody of the mother, while only 6.6% of fathers have sole custody. 12.8% of court cases have granted shared physical custody to both parents. Among children aged six and below, only 18% are entrusted exclusively to the father or in joint care. Children from broken common-law unions are more likely to remain under the mother’s care (84% of the children). (9)
Homelessness:
Men were slightly more likely to report experiencing chronic homelessness (72%) compared to women (67%) (10). In 2022, a significant majority of shelter users were men, making up 66.7% of the total, while women represented 32.2%. (11)
Workplace:
Men account for almost all workplace fatalities in Canada, as 97% of workplace deaths are due to the high-risk activities involved in male-dominated industries like construction, mining, and forestry. (12)
Conclusion:
Like the rest of the world, Canada must recognize challenges men face and work towards real equality by promoting policies that ensure male well-being and justice in all aspects of society. (13)
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://www.statista.com/statistics/447858/enrollment-of-postsecondary-students-in-canada-by-gender/
4.https://datosmacro.expansion.com/demografia/esperanza-vida/canada
5.https://genderdata.worldbank.org/en/indicator/sp-dyn-amrt
6.https://www.statista.com/statistics/1318429/death-rate-for-suicide-in-canada-by-sex/
8.https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/cj-jp/victim/rd14-rr14/p4.html
9.https://discreetinvestigations.ca/child-custody-statistics-canada/