PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Henry Herrera
Phone: +1-301-801-0608
Email: info@menandboys.net
Men in Spain are carrying burdens that few acknowledge
October 3, 2025 – From shorter lives to homelessness and deadly workplace accidents, the data points to a troubling reality that is missing from the national conversation, with consequences that affect every part of society.
Education:
In higher education, women make up 54% of students and have higher completion rates, 49% compared to 30% men. These figures show the need for stronger measures to improve academic outcomes and retention for men. (1)
Health:
Life expectancy shows a clear divide: 86.34 years for women compared to 81.11 for men (2). Adult mortality rates double the gap, with 72 deaths per 1,000 men compared to 36.6 per 1,000 women (3).
Domestic violence:
In 2024, Spain 3,495 men of 8,680 total registered victims of domestic violence in court cases with protective measures are men. Victimhood is not limited by gender, but few resources are available for male victims (4).
Spain’s victim support infrastructure is heavily skewed: there are 81 women’s shelters, 45 operating 24/7 (5). Male victims have no equivalent publicly documented support; as ABOGA2 notes, “Male victims receive no support from public institutions.” (6) Moreover, the legal framework—Organic Law 1/2004 on comprehensive protection against gender violence—focuses on women abused by male partners, limiting recognition and state-supported services for men (7).
Homicide:
Men are more likely to be victims of lethal violence, with a rate of 0.94 per 100,000 compared to 0.46 for women (8).
Suicide:
Suicide also shows a severe gender gap: 12.9 deaths per 100,000 males versus 4.3 for females (9).
Child custody:
Fathers rarely gain custody after divorce. Sole custody is granted to fathers in only 3.4% of cases, compared to 46.6% for mothers, and 49.7% shared (10).
Homelessness:
Men make up 77% of Spain’s homeless population—21,900 men versus 6,652 women living in shelters or similar facilities (11).
Workplace:
Workplace deaths rose by 10.4% in 2024, reaching nearly 800 cases. Nine out of ten involved men (12).
Conclusion:
Spain cannot turn a blind eye to these disparities— Equality will remain incomplete until men and boys are no longer left behind.
The International Council for Men and Boys is a non-governmental organization that is working to celebrate the contributions of men to society and to end the 12 sex disparities that affect men and boys around the world. Achieving #GenderEqualityForMen will also benefit women.
https://www.menandboys.net/
Links:
3. https://genderdata.worldbank.org/en/indicator/sp-dyn-amrt?gender=male
4.https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EVDVG2024.htm
6.https://aboga2.eu/blog/violencia-genero-hombres/hombres-maltratados-por-mujeres/
7.https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2004-21760
8.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homicide_statistics_by_gender