Should there be a Minister for Men and Boys?

Should there be a dedicated minister for men and boys?

This was a question that was raised again last month during a Westminster Hall debate - opened by Conservative MP for Hinckley and Bosworth Dr Luke Evans, to discuss the potential merits of appointing someone to the position.

The UK's first Minister for Women was appointed in 1997 to promote equality and address the challenges they face across society, and the role has existed in different forms ever since.

Yet no equivalent office has existed for men and boys, and Evans has said it is "only fair" that should change.

Evans, a former GP, said men and boys were falling behind women and girls in metrics from health to education.

However, the idea has opened up a debate on how the role might work, with fears that it could be a tokenistic appointment and deflect attention from continuing work to achieve equality for women.

The MP has pressed the case for having a Minister for Men and Boys several times in Parliament.

He said the holder of the role should work with the Minister for Women and Equalities, a post currently held by Bridget Phillipson alongside her role as Secretary of State for Education.

"This isn't about men or women," Evans said. "I've always said it's about men and women.

"There is no competition here."

He added: "Men and boys are starting to fall behind on so many metrics.

"I believe it's time we have a position that spans across government to look at policy in the whole - anything from the justice department to attainment in schools, to employment opportunities as well as mental health, suicide, and steroid abuse.

"All these issues, that are male-dominated, need to be looked at.

"We already have a women and girls minister so I think it's only fair and right that we balance this up."

Without such a role, Evans said he feared men and boys would continue to fall behind.

Evans told MPs in the recent Westminster debate there were health inequalities he wanted the government to address.

He added it was alarming that suicide was the leading cause of death for men under 50, and was three times more common in men than women.

The MP cited figures showing two thirds of liver disease deaths are of men - a trend that has risen four-fold in the past 40 years.

Evans also said the government needed to focus on the growing problem of steroid abuse among men and bigorexia - a condition in which people seek to become more muscular.

He said he was also worried about a lack of positive male role models, which he said had led to many young men being drawn to controversial online influencers like Andrew Tate.

The MP said the term "toxic masculinity" was a real problem.

"We have taken away the good role model for men, and then potentially demonised them by calling them toxic," he said.

"No wonder men and boys are struggling to find their way in the world. I often ask 'what is a good man in the modern world?'

"I am yet to find a good answer."

In education, Evans said a 2025 report by the Centre for Social Justice showed boys achieved lower GSCE grades at every subject than girls, and that female students outnumbered male students by three to two for university admissions.

Evans said boys were one and a half times more likely to be suspended from school than girls, according to 2024 figures.

Evans also said Office for National Statistics figures in February showed there were a million unemployed men of working age - the highest level since 2014.

He also said the UK unemployment rate for young males aged between 18 and 24 hit 17% in the three months to December 2025, passing a peak during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Evans added: "There are many stats that I could mention, but they all point to the fact that these are cross-departmental issues and, more importantly, cross-societal issues."

However, concerns remain over the idea of establishing a Minister for Men and Boys.

Penny East is chief executive of the Fawcett Society, a charity that campaigns for women's rights and gender equality.

"There are serious societal issues affecting men and boys that need to be addressed," East said.

"One of the biggest is online misogyny, how widespread and normalised it has become, and how manipulative men are monetising it.

"If we can solve some of those problems, it helps men and boys and, in turn, helps women and girls, because misogyny is one of the root causes of the problems facing women and girls.

"The government does need to look at this, but would having a minister be the answer? How would they operate?

"It can't be tokenistic and it can't be divisive, and we have to get over the idea that it's 'us and them'."

Mid Leicestershire Conservative MP Peter Bedford added: "An unhelpful narrative has developed that boys are a problem to society and that they need to be managed.

"That does nothing to raise aspiration or instil pride and responsibility in young men."

He said he saw the merits in the role, but was concerned it would become a "bureaucratic post that politicians can hide behind".

"We need real systemic and cultural change across Whitehall to improve outcomes for men, just like we do for women," Bedford said.

"Only then will we truly be able to improve the lives of not just men and boys, but everybody."

Minister for equalities Olivia Bailey said the Labour government was already working to address issues highlighted by Evans.

She said Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had asked Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy to lead work across government to improve outcomes for men and boys.

She said: "We are committed to supporting men and boys in all areas where they face disadvantage, recognising that too many are really struggling with the challenges in our society today.

"The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has been set up to support ministers in this work, which includes a specific focus on convening and co-ordinating work across departments so that we can ensure a joined-up approach that delivers meaningful and measurable change."

Bailey added the government had committed to holding a national summit on men and boys later this year, and had also published England's first men's health strategy in 2025.

She said the strategy aimed "to tackle the biggest health problems affecting men of all ages, including mental health and suicide, respiratory illness, prostate cancer and heart disease".

Bailey also said the Department for Education was looking to recruit more male teachers who could act as role models for boys at school.

She also said the government recognised the "devastating consequences" loneliness and social isolation could have on young men.

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