Men are a diverse group – how do make sure that none get left behind?

The health and wellbeing gap between men is vast in Finland. This is stated in the Government report on gender equality policy, which highlights the health and wellbeing of men as one of its themes.

The segregation within men into those who do well and those who do not is reflected as early as boys’ learning outcomes. There are differences in the life expectancy of men between low- and high-income earners, but also regionally. Boys have the highest life expectancy in Åland at 81.8 years and the lowest in Kainuu at 77.1 years.

The report on gender equality sets a policy target of breaking the trend of increased inequality among men. But how can the most vulnerable men be supported and who are they?

Support and solutions from inclusion projects

The European Social Fund Plus funds development projects under specific objective 4.3 on equal participation. The projects aim to improve the position of people experiencing very poor inclusion in society.

In the adult population, the experience of very poor inclusion is more common among men than women. The same applies to many background factors of exclusion. For example, a considerable majority of homeless people and prisoners are men.

Inclusion projects aim to solve the challenges of a diverse target group from different perspectives. For example, there is a wall-less training programme for young men under development, in which rehabilitative work activities and social rehabilitation will mainly take place outside workshops.

The active inclusion in education and employment of male students who have moved to Finland is supported by developing educational institution services and strengthening employers’ recruitment competence and readiness to build a diverse corporate culture.

There is a project aiming to facilitate the societal integration of released male prisoners by reducing the impact of intergenerational challenges and stigma on the cycle of crime and substance abuse and on life management.

The small success stories of projects open up new opportunities for individuals – whether it is building up the courage to leave the house or participate in a new hobby. At the societal level, the establishment of evidence-based practices as part of permanent services and structures may contribute to reducing the development of inequality among men.

Men are a diverse group

Influencing the development of inequality among men in projects and other activities requires recognising that men are a key target group of a service or activity.

It is also necessary to recognise the differences between men. For example, how different are the needs and possibilities of a man with an immigrant background and a man with a disability? And how can these differences be taken into account in activities?

Activities are often declared suitable for anyone, which mostly comes from a good place. People want to offer activities to anyone who needs them, and no one is excluded.

However, there is a risk that activities designed to be the same for everyone can actually increase inequality. In reality, participating in the activities is not accessible or safe for everyone.

This is why it is important to consider in advance who “everyone” is. How are measures and their impacts targeted at different genders and groups of people? What are those impacts? 

Support for projects to promote equality and non-discrimination

Taking gender equality and non-discrimination into account makes projects more impactful. Still, it is not always easy to know where to start.

The Coordination for Equal Inclusion implemented at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare has compiled a checklist for gender equality to support projects. The questions in the checklist help people who plan, implement and evaluate projects to take the perspectives of equality and non-discrimination into account at different stages of a project.

Read more

•    Government Report on gender equality policy (in Finnish, publication archive Valto, 2022)
•    Guide for promoting equality (in Finnish, publication archive Julkari, 2024)