Men in need

WHEN one hears about disadvantaged or marginalised groups in society, the mind usually goes to persons with disabilities, poor persons, the elderly, the youth and women. One would hardly place men in that category.

After all, men are seen as the ultimate power brokers in our society. Men, having held the seat of power in our society from time immemorial, are seldom seen as needing special attention.

Nonetheless, there is a segment of the marginalised in our society that seems to be heavily constituted by those of the masculine gender – the homeless and vagrant among us. As one walks around the island, particularly in urban and commercial areas, one would notice that men seem to dominate this population; one cannot help but wonder why this is so.

In a cruel irony, could it be their masculinity – a symbol of power and entitlement – that is keeping them relegated to this downtrodden position? After all, men are seen as breadwinners; as being able to look after themselves. Does it then make them even more unlikely to find a helping hand when they are down and out? Certainly, it is not difficult to imagine that women – as the traditional primary caregivers – would be considered a priority for social services authorities and civil society organisations. It pulls on the heartstrings to see children suffering because of poor living conditions or risks to their safety, and it is not surprising therefore to see single mothers receiving the lion’s share of attention and support.

Meanwhile, most men who are living on the streets, or who are in untenable living situations at home or with relatives, do not appear to meet with such overwhelming public sympathy. That being said, one also has to account for individual idiosyncrasies. One major obstacle which social workers  and other caring persons would encounter is that can be extremely difficult to help those who do not wish to be helped. This may again go back to the cultural norm that dictates that a man should be able to look after himself – ego may therefore not allow him to seek the help that is needed, or accept any that is offered.

Whatever the reasons for this tendency, it is one that we would wish to see reduced. Just as the unique challenges facing other marginalised groups are studied and taken into consideration when devising initiatives to help them, it is hoped that similar care would be taken with dealing with the homeless and vagrant population.

In recent times, we have seen more persons in civil society working to help these persons to get their lives back on track and we urge them to keep up the good work. However, given the gender aspect of this issue, perhaps men’s groups, such as men’s fellowships in churches across the island, might be encouraged to begin focusing their energies on helping their downtrodden brothers. Certainly, we have seen that the various women’s organisations have taken concrete action such as providing women with skills training and self-help opportunities, as well as providing shelter, counselling and support to women in abusive relationships.

Everyone needs help from time to time, but it can be hard to reach for it or accept it if you are expected to be the one who does the rescuing.

We need to create more welcoming spaces for our disadvantaged men to get back on their feet.