‘Outdated stereotypes’ see men faking sport interest to seem more masculine

One in 10 men fake interest in sport and exaggerate how much alcohol they can drink, according to Samaritans research said to show outdated stereotypes persist around masculinity.

More than two thirds of men (68%) said they would live differently if they were free from social judgment, including taking up singing, painting or dancing, a survey for the charity found.

Four in 10 exaggerate aspects of their personality due to pressure to appear more masculine, the research suggested, while around a third admitted to putting on an act to fit in with others.

The research, published ahead of International Men’s Day on Wednesday, found that 12% of men admitted to faking an interest in sport, while the same proportion said they exaggerate how much alcohol they can drink, their physical strength and their tolerance for pain (12%).

Around a fifth of men said their attempts to appear more masculine were often for the benefit of their male peers.

A wider survey of around 2,000 men and women found that around three in 10 people still believe men should not show that they are struggling or cry.

Samaritans chief executive Julie Bentley said the findings show outdated stereotypes persist “about what it means to ‘be a man’”.

Only around a third of men said they would ask for help when they need it (35%).

Ms Bentley said: “We often hear that men don’t talk, but that’s not the full picture. Many men are reaching out and the problem is that they’re not always heard or met with the right kind of support.

“Outdated stereotypes about what it means to ‘be a man’ are still shaping how men express themselves, and too often that silence is reinforced by the reactions they get when they are in crisis.

“That’s why it’s essential that men aren’t dismissed when they do turn somewhere for support, and that the right support is offered to them.”

Suicide

The most recent Office for National Statistics data, published last year and covering 2023, showed around three-quarters of registered deaths by suicide were among males, noting this has been the case since the mid-1990s.

Samaritans said the Government’s upcoming men’s health strategy is “an important opportunity to help drive down male suicide rates and improve the system so men feel safe, listened to, and accepted for who they are”.

The Government has previously said the strategy will “seek to improve the health and wellbeing of all men across England, including improving outcomes for health conditions that hit men harder”.

– Samaritans said of the 2,000 people surveyed by Opinium in October 1,016 were men.