Engendering Men's Health: Why bringing a gender lens to men's health can lead to better health outcomes for all

Please note that separate tickets are required for the panel discussions and the keynote. This means that if you wish to attend both sessions, you will need to register for two separate tickets.

Join us for an afternoon of panel discussions exploring gender, masculinities and health, followed by a Keynote from Grayson Perry entitled What Are Little Boys Made Of...? , exploring how antiquated masculinity is bad for men everywhere on the planet, bad for women and bad for the planet itself.

When we talk of gender, for most of us it will be women that come to mind. In global health, discussions on the impact of gender on health tend to remain narrowly focused on women's health. But we are all gendered beings, and to understand and address the health of men, we must also understand the role gender norms and masculinities play in influencing their health and wellbeing, and often, in making them sick.

For example, in the UK, women can expect to live three years longer than men. In some countries, this gap is as large as 11 years. On the other hand, women can expect to live longer but with more chronic disease. The role of gender in driving these gaps remains overlooked.

In what ways does gender influence the health outcomes of men? How might challenging rigid gender norms improve the health not just of women, but also of men? Should the health community be paying greater attention to men and men's health? And what can we do about it?

Join us for a series of panel discussions to explore these questions, followed by a keynote speech from renowned artist and writer Grayson Perry, whose seminal work has explored themes of masculinity in contemporary society, most recently through his book The Descent of Man. His talk, What Are Little Boys Made Of...? will explore how antiquated masculinity is bad for men everywhere on the planet, bad for women and bad for the planet itself.

Following the keynote you are invited to join us for a drinks reception which will feature a small exhibit of original art from the Slade School of Fine Art, commissioned to explore themes of masculinities, men's health and gender.

This event is co-hosted by the UCL Centre for Gender and Global Health, Global Action on Men's Health, Promundo and Global Health 50/50.

Panel Discussions (2-5:30pm)

Panel 1: Men, Masculinity and Health

Chair: Jenny Parkes, Professor of Education, Gender &International Development, UCL IOE

Peter Baker, Director, Global Action on Men's Health

Gary Barker, CEO, Promundo

Veronica Magar, Director, Gender, equity and human rights, World Health Organization

Tim Taylor, Head of Public Health, Leeds City Council

Panel 2: Intersectionality and Men's Health

Chair: Claire Somerville, Executive Director, Gender Centre, Graduate Institute Geneva

Rob Aldridge, UCL Institute of Health Informatics

Liam Hackett, Founder and CEO, Ditch the Label

Tracy Herd, Program Manager, Young Men and Sport, UK/Europe, Movember

Marion Wadibia, Chief Executive, NAZ

‍Panel 3: Reframing Narratives on Men’s Health, Women's Health, Masculinities and Gender

Chair: Jocalyn Clark, Executive Editor, The Lancet

Olivia Burns, Associate Director of Communications, Prostate Cancer UK

Aaron Gillies, Bestselling author, Mental Health Writer and CALM Ambassador

Caroline Gregory, Global Brand Director, Axe Global

Thalia Kidder, Women's Economic Empowerment Lead, Oxfam GB

Orla Mackle, Team Leader - Gender Norms Policy, Government Equalities Office

Jessica Tye, Operations Manager – Investigations, Advertising Standards Authority

Keynote Talk by Grayson Perry: What Are Little Boys Made Of...? (6-7:15pm)

Explore how antiquated masculinity is bad for men everywhere on the planet, bad for women and bad for the planet itself.

Drinks Reception and Art Exhibit (7:15-8:30pm)

‍

‍----

‍Beyond the Binary Seminar Series

This event marks the launch of Beyond the Binary, a new seminar series from the Centre for Gender and Global Health, taking place on the second Monday of each month. The full list of seminars will be available shortly.

Gender, until recently, has often been conceptualised as a binary concept, and the health agenda therefore remained anchored around ideas of men and women and their differing health needs. In reality, gender is a spectrum, not a binary, that is socially constructed and influenced by laws, politics, policies, communities, families and individuals. Gender intersects with other markers of identity to produce diverse health risks, exposure to unhealthy products and differing health seeking behaviours.

It is only by understanding the relevance of gender to everyone that we can begin to unpack, and thus address, the complex ways that gender interacts with our identities, and thus our health. Gender in global health is often narrowly equated to women's health. We believe a broader understanding of gender is required. This is not about prioritising the needs of some over others, but fulfilling the promise to leave no one behind, regardless of their gender identity.

Through this series, we hope to begin to unpack the diversity of gender and its relationship to health to better understand, and address, gender and its relationship to the health of all.

‍