PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Henry Herrera
Phone: +1-301-801-0608
Email: info@menandboys.net
Key Areas of Inequality Affecting Men and Boys in Portugal
October 7, 2025 – Male inequality has received little public recognition in Portugal, and it deserves attention and action.
Education:
Women are outpacing men in higher education. Among those aged 25–34, 47% of women have completed tertiary education, compared to 34% of men. Women are also entering and finishing their studies at higher rates—54% of new tertiary entrants are women, and 81% complete their programs, compared to 66% of men (1)(2). The gap is widening, leaving men increasingly behind in educational attainment.
Health:
Life expectancy highlights a clear divide: 78.7 years for men versus 83.9 for women (3). Adult mortality shows the same pattern, with 93.2 deaths per 1,000 men compared to 41.7 per 1,000 women (4).
Homicide:
Men are more likely to be victims of homicide, with a rate of 1.03 per 100,000 compared to 0.44 for women (5).
Suicide:
Suicide rates are more than three times higher among men: 17.7 per 100,000 men versus 5.9 for women (6)(7).
Partner Violence:
In the city of Porto, 9.7% of men and 8.5% of women reported experiencing physical intimate partner violence. This comes from a population-based European study of adults aged 18–64, carried out in six cities across six European countries. The data demonstrates that victimization affects both sexes, and both sexes are perpetrators (8).
Homelessness:
Men represent 72% of Portugal’s homeless population, compared to 28% women, pointing to major gendered disparities in socioeconomic vulnerability (9).
Workplace:
In 2023, Portugal recorded a total of 54,294 non-fatal workplace accidents: 37,624 men 69.3% and 16,628 women 30.6%. This reflects the higher occupational risks faced by men (10).
Conclusion:
We urge policymakers, institutions, and advocates in Portugal to recognize these disparities and take meaningful steps to ensure support and protection for all.
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:
4.https://genderdata.worldbank.org/en/indicator/sp-dyn-amrt?gender=male
5.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homicide_statistics_by_gender
6.https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.STA.SUIC.MA.P5
7.https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.STA.SUIC.FE.P5