Wales TUC urge men to open up about mental health

20 Nov 2019 11:46 AM

On International Men’s Day (19 November), we urged all men in Wales to complete our mental health and the workplace survey.

Take the survey

On International Men’s Day Wales TUC Equalities Policy Officer Rhianydd Williams yesterday said:

“Union members tell us how much of an issue mental health is in Welsh workplaces. And bad bosses, zero-hour contracts and poor practices can make your mental health worse.

"We know that men are less likely to seek help for their mental health issues than women and that they are more likely to commit suicide. We now need to gather evidence from workers so we can take our findings to employers and help them make positive changes.

"We are running a nation-wide survey to find out more about mental health and the Welsh workplace. The results will help us create useful resources on how workplaces can improve mental health and well-being for everyone.

"To fully understand what’s going on in Welsh workplaces we need to hear from everyone in Wales, but so far only 20% of our survey responses have been from men.

"On International Men’s Day we urge all men in Wales to complete our survey. We also ask everyone to share the survey with their male colleagues, friends and family members.”

Our mental health survey is available in English and in Welsh. 

Editors note

• Wales TUC is the voice of Wales at work. With 48 member unions, Wales TUC represents just over 400,000 workers. We campaign for a fair deal at work and for social justice at home and abroad.
• According to Mind approximately 1 in 4 people in the UK will experience a mental health problem each year.
• According to a Mental Health Foundation survey, men who have had a mental health problem are not only less likely than women to have sought medical support for their problem, they are also less likely to tell friends and family when a problem develops.
  • 28% of men surveyed had not sought medical help for the last mental health problem they experienced compared to 19% of women.
  • A third of women (33%) who disclosed a mental health problem to a friend or loved one did so within a month, compared to only a quarter of men (25%).
  • Over a third of men (35%) waited more than 2 years or have never disclosed a mental health problem to a friend or family member, compared to a quarter of women (25%).
• According to ONS there were 19.1 suicide deaths per 100,000 males in Wales in 2018 and there were 6.9 suicide deaths per 100,000 women in Wales 2018.