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Letters

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I refer to the article, “How men can best protect themselves against the many health crises they face in midlife” (June 20).
Throughout June we celebrate Men’s Health Month, but for many men it passes quietly. The silence might be the issue, with too many men still putting off care even when something does not feel right. This is something we need to change.
Men’s health outcomes trail women’s in many key areas. Men live an average of five fewer years than women. Life expectancy disparities have persisted since 1950. Studies reveal that men are also less likely to seek medical attention than women. In middle age, when risks such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and some cancers rise, this reluctance can be costly.
Part of the challenge lies in how men are often taught to think about health. Many of us grow up absorbing the message that strength means endurance and self-reliance. But ignoring pain, anxiety, fatigue or changes in sexual health is not strength; it is risk. Knowing when to act, understanding what is happening and asking for help early should be seen as part of taking responsibility for our health.
In recent years, we have seen greater openness around many health topics that were once difficult to discuss, from mental health to cancer screening and preventive care. Men’s health needs to be part of that same shift. Andropause, sometimes described as age-related testosterone decline, remains under-recognised and rarely discussed. While not every man has symptoms, some may experience reduced energy, difficulty concentrating, lower libido or low mood. Too often, these signs are dismissed as normal ageing or hidden because they feel awkward to discuss.
Healthcare providers, employers and community leaders all have a role to play. We must make preventive care easier to access and easier to talk about by encouraging regular screenings, normalising open conversations about health, creating workplace cultures where employees can take time for check-ups and using language that reaches men without judgment.
Leadership matters too. From King Charles speaking about his cancer diagnosis to Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps’ fight against anxiety and depression – when public figures and leaders speak honestly about their health challenges, it encourages men to do the same in their own lives.
Sometimes, we may need a bit of a nudge. If a man in your life seems to be struggling, ask how he is and be prepared to listen. Taking care of our health is not a weakness. It is a responsibility to ourselves, to those who depend on us and to the communities we serve.
Rob Peat, CEO, Asia-Pacific, Cigna Healthcare
Reframe relationship goals to boost marriages
Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s acknowledgement that Singapore must focus on improving the quality of family life rather than relying solely on procreation incentives is a refreshing dose of realism (“Singapore looks beyond baby bonuses as fertility hits record low,” June 9). As the city state grapples with a historic low total fertility rate of 0.87, the pivot away from mere financial handouts – such as baby bonuses and childcare subsidies – signals an understanding that the causes of its demographic crisis run much deeper.
However, while its multibillion marriage and parenthood initiatives aim to ease the burden of raising children, this strategy remains incomplete if it fails to address the cultural elephant in the room: female hypergamy.
Singaporean society is still deeply entrenched in the Confucian legacy that expects women to “marry up”. There remains an unspoken, rigid expectation that a husband must be his wife’s equal or superior in education, income and social standing. A 2022 survey of 500 singles revealed a stark asymmetry in the local marriage market: while 92 per cent of single men were willing to date a woman who earned more than them, only 41 per cent of women were willing to date a man who earned less.
This 50-point gap is the structural feature driving Singapore’s “marriage squeeze”. In recent years, women have started to outpace men in educational attainment. Highly educated, career-driven women are left without suitable partners because the pool of men who clear the traditional bar is shrinking.
If the government’s reset is to truly galvanise societal support for marriage and parenthood, it must foster a national conversation that challenges these inherited assumptions. We must normalise relationships where women out-earn their husbands and where fathers take on primary caregiving roles, much like in Scandinavian countries with higher fertility rates.
Dr Alexis Heng Boon Chin, associate professor, Peking University


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Man up, break down: unpacking the Philippines’ male suicide crisis

Mental health

Men don’t have to suffer their health woes in silence

A man looks at his phone at the at the Sai Ying Pun waterfront on May 5. Photo: Karma Lo

How men can best protect themselves against the many health crises they face in midlife

One of the reasons men develop health problems is their tendency to ignore pain and illness symptoms instead of going to a doctor. Experts explain why attending regular health checks is important and other ways men can live longer and healthier lives. Photo: Shutterstock

Hong Kong general practitioner Dr Geoffrey Yu advises men to have an annual health screening to monitor the “three highs”: blood pressure, glucose, and cholesterol. Photo: pulse-clinic.com.hk

Hong Kong men are at a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes than women, problems triggered by a poor diet and a lack of exercise. Photo: Shutterstock

Hong Kong psychologist Dino Wong says the alarming rate of mental health problems in men is “deeply tied to the pressures of Hong Kong life”. Photo: LinkedIn/dinockw

Yu advises men to exercise regularly to improve their healthspan. Photo: Shutterstock

Singapore looks beyond baby bonuses as fertility hits record low

A five-month old infant floats in a whirlpool at a “baby spa” in Singapore. The city state’s resident total fertility rate fell to a record low of 0.87 last year. Photo: EPA

Opinion

Readers discuss why men must take charge of their mental and physical well-being and ways to reverse Singapore’s fertility rate decline


Readers discuss why men must take charge of their mental and physical well-being and ways to reverse Singapore’s fertility rate decline.


Wellness

Gender

Ageing society

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Readers discuss why men must take charge of their mental and physical well-being and ways to reverse Singapore’s fertility rate decline

Readers discuss why men must take charge of their mental and physical well-being and ways to reverse Singapore’s fertility rate decline