Left-wing politicians on both sides of the Atlantic are feeling nervous about men.
In the recent US election, more than half (56%) of men in the 18-29 age group voted Trump: a 29-point swing since 2020. Here in the UK, the historic trend of UK men being more likely than women to vote Labour reversed in 2015. More young men voted Labour than for any other party in July 2024 - but more young men than young women voted for Reform (12% versus 6%) and the Conservatives (10% versus 6%).
For a Labour Party governing in this context, providing a better deal for men during the transition to fatherhood – a key rite of passage that’s anticipated and experienced by men on all sides of the political spectrum, and the most significant emotional journey most will ever take – could be an obvious good move.
Think about it. When men become fathers (as most do at least once in their life), almost all of them are accessible to the NHS in the period on either side of their children’s birth. They accompany their partners to appointments, witness and register the birth, and (assuming they’re eligible and can afford it) take paternity leave.
In terms of their health, every one of these fathers is, aside from being an important support person for the woman carrying his baby, entering a period of life that can both inspire behaviour change and provoke negative outcomes – for himself and those around him.
Yet we still lack a father-pathway through our perinatal health systems, so we do almost nothing to check whether our men are coping and skilled up for their baby’s early months. And when the baby arrives, our worst-in-Europe statutory paternity offer gives new dads a paltry two weeks’ leave, paid at less than half the minimum wage. The message to men is crystal clear: “you don’t matter, now get back to work”.
Through our new campaign, 'looking out for dad', we’re calling on the Government to change that message and mark the importance of better paternal health, by offering new dads a free NHS health check.
What better way, especially if introduced alongside a substantially improved statutory paternity offer (if you haven’t already, check out our 6 weeks for dads campaign), for a Government to show that they care about fathers - and value their role, right at the heart of family life?
Building fathers into a strategy
We and others have been calling for a men’s health strategy for some years now – and before the election, the House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee finally recommended, in a letter to the then-health secretary Victoria Atkins, that one be introduced.
And it went further, responding to the Fatherhood Institute’s evidence to its men’s health inquiry by calling on the Government and NHS England to:
“...develop guidance for how maternity services can proactively involve men in services as well as develop wider strategies for how to use fatherhood and early years as a moment of physical and emotional health activation for men.”
Even before that letter was published, Wes Streeting – now health secretary – had said, while in Opposition, that he was committed to introducing a men’s health strategy. Since then he’s been quiet on the subject, but we remain hopeful he’ll make good on his pledge.
Supporting men’s fatherhood journeys
Just this week, a new scoping review of qualitative literature about fathers’ mental health during the transition to fatherhood recommended stronger clinical guidelines for paternal perinatal mental health support, and more funding for charitable organisations to help set up peer support groups.
Right now, only fathers whose partners are themselves suffering from mental health problems enter the frame for an assessment and, if needed, a referral or signposting. More widely, healthcare professionals continue to be unwelcoming to fathers, and there remains a lack of structured parenting information and educational support for them.
There’s plenty of evidence that some men might value the chance to receive a check-up at this point – and even those who wouldn’t take up the offer, would know it was there.
Men’s Health magazine – which has partnered with us for our campaign – ran a survey which found 90% of fathers saying the challenges of fatherhood aren’t taken seriously enough. Among other things, 77% of them experienced heightened stress levels in their baby’s first year; 56% felt overwhelmed; 37% felt isolated from friends and family and 22% experienced depression.
Of course fathers’ health (both physical and mental) has implications for mothers too, as well as for their children – and our campaign builds on that for its rationale too. Check out our research summary for some ways dads’ health impacts on their children’s at various ages.
It’s time to act
We need your help to build momentum for our campaign.
Sign our open letter to the Health Secretary calling on him to 'look out for dads' when making good on his pledge to develop a men's health strategy
Tell us about health professionals who've done a good job of supporting you
Share your top tips for how to cope with the joys and challenges of early fatherhood
Join our Dads Panel to contribute to our advocacy
If you're a health professional, share your perspective by completing our practitioner survey
With your help, we’ll do the best job we can of advocating for an NHS that shows men it cares and is there to support them on their journey through life. Our fathers – and their sons – the next generation of male voters – deserve nothing less.
Support our campaigns
We don't receive any funding for our campaigns, which rely solely on donations from our supporters, people like you. You can support our campaigns by purchasing an FI content subscription, making a donation, or purchasing some merch in our exclusive shop - 100% of profits, and 100% of donations fund our campaigns.
We can't do this alone - are you ready to join the movement?