From a netfriend (3/03)

I don’t carry any particular brief for ____, or for “men” in general. Also, I think the point ___ makes is valid: insofar as health policy in general is concerned, “men” are quite capable of ensuring that policy reflects their needs. I see no reason, in the climate of an election (apparently you guys interstate are having one), to raise men’s health as an especial problem area. I do, however, want to make a couple of caveats.

Caveat one: “men” are not an organised body exerting influence over the system. They are individuals pursuing (if anything) personal concerns. I might point out, though, that this male-dominated system has laid great stress on such issues as breast cancer, has provided hospitals and health centres devoted to women’s health issues, and in general has ensured that women’s medical issues are not ignored.

Caveat two: there is a real issue of men’s health, which might underlie ____’s concerns. It is a fact, as I gather from my medical advisers (who are of both genders) that men are more reserved about raising personal medical problems, including those of a gender-specific nature. Since this includes potentially particularly nasty prostate problems, this inhibition is conceivably a policy matter in the broader scheme of things.

The policy issue is, however, more a matter of encouraging men to be more aware of bodily malfunctioning than an issue of masculine disadvantage. If I can use ____’s starting point (men’s shorter life-span statistically) as an example: it is possible that men live shorter lives because of lifestyle choices (e.g., use of alcohol) or the way they choose to live their lives (e.g., in ways that involve higher stress levels). If this be true, then health promotion addressing these issues would be productive for society in the broader sense.

Social well-being with a medical slant is often seen in too simplistic a way. Take an extreme example – “viagra”: this might well be regarded as a drug for men, specifically those with a particular male dysfunction. It is indeed the stuff of jokes. However, for men with the dysfunction involved the problem can be humiliating.

More to my point, however, erectile failure can be destructive to a marital relationship if the female partner needs a competent male to achieve her own satisfaction, and where mutual satisfaction is an important bonding factor. Men will tend to seek other answers (such as seeking a younger, more-arousing partner) before seeking a medical solution which implies a personal deficiency (and also happens to be expensive). Social attention to medico-sexual problems is likely, I would argue, to be a major contributor to social well-being as well as in the long run economical for society.