Shout out to men this Men’s Health Week! I could bombard you with horrible stats about heart disease, cancer and obesity. Instead, we’re fist pumping the positive changes we’re seeing in men around the world.
COVID 19 changes
COVID-19 saw a few great changes. According to the Families in Australia Survey, Over half (61%) of dads reported spending more time helping their kids with learning and schoolwork. Plus, dads said they were now there when their kids needed to talk, with 34% said they spent more time having meaningful conversations. And 58% of dads reported spending more time reading to their kids! And according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, from March 2020 to January 2021, 27% of men over 18 reported spending time doing things they enjoyed, and 14% said they sought help and support from family and friends. Go guys!!
Changes were starting even before the pandemic!
Hands on dads!
For many fathers, it’s become quite normal to play a bigger role in childcare or to take parental leave. No longer are newborns given to mum, with dads on the sidelines. One Swedish study found that new born babies who have skin-to-skin contact with their dad stopped crying, became calmer, and fell asleep more easily than newborns placed in a cot.
Work Life balance
In years gone by, our idea of being a “good father” meant being a good financial provider. Today, most men see being a “good father” is more about both more involvement with children and financial milestones. In a study by the Boston College Centre for Work and Family, all working dads wanted more time with their children. Their study found that between 80% and 90% of millennial dads want career advancement, but only 4% “strongly agreed” that they’d be willing to sacrifice personal or family time to get it.
Men embracing “wellness.”
Doctors used to lament that men were a threatened species in our waiting rooms. Starting with millennials, there is an enormous and rapidly growing men’s self-care trend. According to the Global Wellness Institute, wellness is a 4.2 trillion-dollar industry. From 2015-2017, the wellness economy grew 6.4% annually, nearly twice as fast as global economic growth (3.6%), they have said.
Men today shave their bodies, but then grow a bushy beard which they tend to with an array of beard care products. In fact, according to a report by Grand View Research, Inc, men’s “personal grooming” shopping is expected to achieve a compound annual growth rate of 6.3% up to 2027. Products such as shaving cream, serum and beard grooming kits are leading the charge.
Guys getting their friendships sorted (and stepping into the kitchen)
We don’t have hard stats here, but there are tons of anecdotes about men starting to connect more with old friends. And if the ESK office is anything to go by, we have seen an exponential rise in our male friends showing off their cooking endeavours on Instagram! Nice!
Happy Men’s Health Week all!
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