Men Coping Through Covid
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the livelihoods of many people and some men have found it hard to cope, amidst temporary or permanent job losses which may have occurred.
It’s an issue the Gender Affairs Department of the Division of Health, Wellness and Family Development (DHWFD) addressed in its recent virtual programme ‘The Deep Awakening of the Man in You,’ hosted by Jai Melville.
Episode 1 centred on ‘Building Self-Esteem and Being Empowered in a Time of Uncertainty.’ Panelist and Manager of the Community Residence and Home for Children, Kern Walker, said the pandemic has affected the mental stability and self-esteem of men whose financial status shifted.
“When there’s an inability for a man to provide for his family, and you may be in a household where the woman might be an essential worker and is now the breadwinner, this man now feels depleted,” Walker said.
He suggested that compromise and open communication help to empower men who face such situations.
The other panelist, DHWFD Gender Affairs Officer Nigel Phillip, added that this diminished capacity to provide can result in problems, including substance abuse and domestic violence.
“With those stressors, he may not be able to deal with it. He might turn to drinking, he may become depressed because he can’t spend money,” he said.
Phillip stated that the pandemic presented an opportunity for men to do some self-assessment.
Episode 2 was held on July 8th and the series wraps up on July 15th.
Visit the Division of Health’s Facebook page to catch up on past episodes.
