What is International Men's Day and why is it celebrated?
Today is International Men's Day (IMD). While most of us have heard of and may celebrate International Women's Day (IWD) on March 8 every year, many will not know that there's also the equivalent awareness day for men. The aim is to celebrate male cultural, political and socioeconomic achievements, while also shining a light on the issues that half of the population face.
IMD was created just over a decade ago, in order to give men an equivalent to the century-old IWD, but some are opposed to the idea of a day dedicated to celebrating men, arguing that it in some way waters down the female awareness day, which continues to shine a light on the very real problem of gender inequality. Others, however, fully respect the importance of IMD in addressing the issues facing men that need highlighting.
Whatever your view, here's everything you need to know about the annual event.
When is International Men's Day?
IMD in the UK is on 19 November every year. It is marked across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales and across 90 countries internationally.
According to the International Men's Day website, the month of November was chosen because it "is important for the masculine soul because it gathers several events that are important to men”, including Movember.
What is International Men's Day?
IMD is an international awareness event celebrated annually.
Every year people are encouraged to come together to support and celebrate men and boys in all their diversity.
The awareness day is said to focus on six main pillars: highlighting discrimination against men; supporting male health issues; improving gender relations and promoting gender equality; celebrating male contributions to society; promoting male role models and creating a safer world for everyone.
In the UK, it is organised by the Men and Boys Coalition.
How did International Men's Day come about?
While there were calls since the 1960s to establish International Men’s Day, the idea didn’t gain popularity abroad until Dr Jerome Teelucksingh, a Professor of History at the University of the West Indies established IMD in 1999.
He chose 19 November for IMD to commemorate the birth anniversary of his father. He urged people to take advantage of this day by bringing up issues concerning boys and men.
What are the themes for International Men's Day?
The theme for IMD 2024 is Positive Male Role Models, while the previous few themes include Zero Male Suicide and Better Relations Between Men and Women.
"Positive male role models are crucial for personal and societal growth," Warwick Marsh, International Men’s Day global digital coordinator, explains. "They shape identity by teaching young men that masculinity is a wonderful gift and that there is no such thing as toxic masculinity.
"No gender has a monopoly on vice, only the reality of either good or bad people. Positive Masculinity is dedicated to the service of others. During wartime men give their lives in massive acts of bravery. During peacetime men give their lives working hard day and night. We all benefit from the selfless sacrifice of courageous men."
In the UK, there are core themes, which have been highlighted over the years including:
Making a positive difference to the wellbeing and lives of men and boys
Promoting a positive conversation about men, manhood and masculinity
Raising awareness and/or funds for charities supporting men and boys’ wellbeing
Other subjects the awareness day often hopes to shine a light on include men's health, shorter life expectancy and workplace deaths.
Challenges surrounding men as parents, particularly new fathers and separated fathers is another important topic event organisers hope to spark conversations about.
The day also hopes to raise awareness in support of male victims of violence, including sexual violence.
In short, IMD provides men and those that support them the opportunity to discuss problems relevant to men, such as fatherhood, boys’ education and the worldwide epidemic that is male suicide.
How has IMD been marked in previous years?
With a Parliamentary debate, gigs, charity promotion days, book launches, mental health discussions, film showings, comedy nights, get-togethers, award announcements and charity fundraisers.
During a debate in the House of Commons last year, on 21 November 2023, members drew attention to a range of issues, including the outcomes for boys living in challenging domestic circumstances, high levels of male suicide stemming from hidden traumas, or the pressure to conform to societal notions of masculinity, and the importance of a cross governmental focus on issues which negatively affect men’s health and educational outcomes.
How is it be celebrated this year?
A debate on IMD is scheduled to take place on Thursday 21 November 2024. The debate was scheduled by the Backbench Business Committee and will be led by Sam Rushworth MP.
The Loose Women panel is also set to be replaced with an all-male panel in celebration of the male-specific day. Former Loose Men Jordan Banjo and Brian Conley will be joined in the studio for the first time by Jeff Brazier and Craig Doyle, who will be making their debuts.
The panel will tackle the taboos surrounding men’s health and discuss the topics that matter to them.
People are also being encouraged to post info about the day on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram using hashtags like #internationalmensday #celebratemen #menshealth #stopmalesuicide #thankamantoday.
To find out more about how to get involved and stay tuned about how it will be celebrated in 2024, visit the International Men's Day website.
Loose Men airs on Tuesday 19th November from 12.30pm on ITV1 and is available on ITVX.
Read more about men's health and wellness:
What is Movember? The men's health movement taking over November (Yahoo Life UK, 3-min read)
7 in 10 men wouldn't go to GP even if they saw blood in their urine (Yahoo Life UK, 5-min read)
Workplace checks could be way forward in improving men’s health, says minister (PA Media, 5-min read)
