Disclaimer: This take was written from my perspective (as a male), and opinions may change depending on region, culture and personal beliefs. Examples provided are non-exhaustive and some examples stated are theoretical or adapted from real-life experiences without mentioning names. Women also undoubtedly experience lack of compassion in certain situations, but that is not my point in this take. The issues highlighted also affect women, as almost all women have men in their lives that they love and treasure.
I was a conscripted soldier, and this definitely has affected my views.
Now, lets begin.
The year is 1912. The Titanic has sunk, and it is reported that most of the victims who made it out alive are women and children.
1940, World War 2. an 18 year old boy receives a conscription notice and reads it with his family at dinner. Little do they know, that will be the last time they see their beloved son, as he will die months later, at Dunkirk.
Months ago, in Ukraine. Able bodied men with and without families were expected to stay and fight, but women were allowed to leave freely. It is true that some ladies with children have no choice but to care for their children, but what about everyone else?
The Rwandan Genocide, 1994. This left Rwanda with a population that was overwhelmingly female (70%), due to the active killing of men. Many women were left grieving and living with the loss of their fathers, brothers, husbands and sons, and they undoubtedly suffered, having to prop up their families without the support of their husbands.
Japan, 2021. Suicide rates of men are double that of women.
A date between a couple in the U.S. . The woman spikes the man's drink, and he wakes up to find her engaging in sexual acts eith him against/without his consent. He reports it to the police, who shrug it off as "impossible".
Why does this happen? Why is the emphasis placed on women and children in death toll reports? Why are situations and jobs where men are more likely to be in danger than women under-reported? Why are male victims of abuse disregarded?
The answer: Men. Men are a large part of the reason why men and male-related issues receive less coverage.
For hundreds and thousands of years, women were regarded to be the physically weaker gender, and men to be stronger. Therefore women have always been deemed unsuitable for work under harder/physically demanding conditions, sometimes with a higher risk of death. This created overwhelming concentrations of men in such vocations/professions, and prejudice against women who defy the norm.
There was, and still is, the notion that men are supposed to be fighters and women have no need to defend their country and can just flee if they want to, and that the safety of women is to be prioritised over the safety of men.
Male victims of violence of any sort generally receive much less help and are even less likely to report being sexually abused, due to the idea that men are stronger than women.
Men were and are still expected to bottle up emotions and not show them, as failure to display emotion was seen (and still is, to this day) as a form of strength, unfortunately leading to the increased prevalence of mental health issues in men.
Men and women from the past are responsible for creating these "values" and ideas, But MEN (owing to their majority when it came to positions of power and leadership) are the ones who taught other men and women to follow these faulty ideas.
Times have changed.
The perception of what a woman could be and what she was capable of was and still is being challenged especially during the 20th and 21st centuries, encouraging women to step into traditionally "male" roles, as well as bringing light to female-specific issues, especially those where men were the perpetrator or part of the cause. However, the equivalent for men did not really occur until the recent years.
The old-fashioned notions existing around the purposes and expectations of men still exist till this day. Ideas and beliefs that downplay the existence and severity of mens' issues, or limit what still exist among a significant proportion of us.
There still is generally a lack of awareness regarding the prejudices and biases affecting men, and their families (including women). I wholeheartedly agree that womens' issues are still in desperate need of support and help, but it is time we all change the way we look at men. Maybe it is time for men, and perhaps women, to begin actively challenging our perception of who men are supposed to be, and recognising that the challenges and issues we face should not be sidelined and should be acknowledged as well. Mens' issues do affect women as well.
At the end of the day, we are all human. We all need compassion. We all need help at some point. And we all deserve empathy, regardless of gender.
Women have their issues that deserve to be addressed urgently. So do men.
Once again, these views are my own, coming from a first world country that practises male conscription. They do not apply to every country, culture or region. I understand that I may be wrong in some aspects, and If so, please do correct me. If you have anything to add, please do so in the comments.
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