According at an article on Stuff, Canterbury health workers have described the health system as "sexist", saying that despite men sufferring poorer helth and having a higher mortality rate, "...there appears to be significantly more health promotion targeted at women."
Report co-author and Sport Canterbury events and marketing manager Jonny Kirkpatrick said it was difficult to attract funding for male-focused health projects.
"Men are partly to blame themselves because of the `she'll be right attitude', but it starts at the top," he said.
"The awareness around women's health is fantastic, but men get breast cancer too and as many men die from prostate cancer as women of breast cancer."
The report's main recommendations were raising awareness around men's health and making services gender appropriate.
I remember discussing this issue with friends over 20 years ago, when I was told that a group doing a prostate cancer awareness leaflet drop had been warned by Police to stop for "indecency" or somesuch thing. This isn't a new problem, but it is a largely ignored one. The Movember team deserves huge recognition for the efforts they've made raising both awareness and funding for men's health issues. Cheers guys!
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