The Paradox of Power and Privilege in Men’s Health

Within the topic of men’s health there is an interesting paradox. The same services, health models, and social/gender norms simultaneously undermine the same men who are often considered privileged. Historically, men have been at the heart of the biomedical model of health—as decision-makers, researchers, doctors, and also as participants. Despite this history, research suggests that men around the world are often estranged from or reprioritized by health services. Currently, rates of depression (often undiagnosed), substance use, social isolation, self-harm, and suicide are often disproportionately high in men in Canada (and elsewhere in the world).

From her research on community-based men’s health programs and Men’s Sheds, Maya will grapple with: barriers that many men often face in addressing their health, challenges that service providers experience in reaching men, meaningful research practices for working with men, and opportunities for change.

Maya Lefkowich is a PhD student in the Interdisciplinary Studies Graduate Program, and currently works with the Men’s Health Research team at UBC. She has a Master’s of Public Health from the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto, where she focused on gender and global health. After graduating, Maya moved to Ireland and worked at the National Centre for Men’s Health before travelling and eventually making her way to UBC.