PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Henry Herrera
Phone: +1-301-801-0608
Email: info@menandboys.net

Urgent Call for Action on Equality: The Rising Challenges Facing Men and Boys in Turkey

September 19, 2025 – Recent data show that men and boys in Turkey face widening gaps in health, safety, and overall wellbeing. Without immediate reforms, these disparities will harden into long-term inequality.

Health:
Life expectancy highlights a stark gap—79.86 years for women versus 74.53 for men, a difference of 5.33 years (1). Adult mortality also shows a higher risk: 111.4 deaths per 1,000 men compared to 65 per 1,000 women (2).

Child Labor:
Boys bear the greater burden of child labor. Of 720,000 children engaged in economic activity, 70.6% were boys and 29.4% were girls (3).

Homicide:
Men face disproportionate violence, with a homicide rate of 4.78 per 100,000 compared to 1.68 for women (4).

Suicide:
Mental health disparities are clear. Men’s suicide rate is 4.3 per 100,000, nearly four times higher than the female rate of 1.1 (5)(6).

Child Custody:
After divorce, custody is overwhelmingly awarded to mothers—74.9% versus 25.1% for fathers (7).

Homelessness:
Men dominate homelessness statistics. A study in Istanbul found 91% of 229 homeless deaths were male, with men forming the majority of the homeless population overall (8).

Workplace:
Men face greater workplace risks. From 2013 to 2020, across eight sectors, 82% of injured workers were men (9).

Conclusion:
Closing these gaps is not optional; it is essential for Turkey’s long-term stability and progress.

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:

1.https://www.statista.com/statistics/974724/life-expectancy-at-birth-in-turkey-by-gender/#:~:text=The%20life%20expectancy%20exhibits%20a,birth%2C%20lies%20at%205.33%20years

2.https://genderdata.worldbank.org/en/indicator/sp-dyn-amrt?gender=male

3.https://www.ilo.org/projects-and-partnerships/projects/child-labour#:~:text=When%20examined%20by%20gender%2C%20it,of%20them%20work%20at%20home

4.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homicide_statistics_by_gender

5.https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.STA.SUIC.MA.P5

6.https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.STA.SUIC.FE.P5

7.https://data.tuik.gov.tr/Bulten/Index?p=Women-in-Statistics-2023-53675&dil=2#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20divorce%20statistics%2C%20it%20was,the%20custody%20of%20the%20father%20was%2025.1%25.

8.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18511007/#:~:text=Two%20hundred%20and%20nine%20of,care%20for%20preventable%20natural%20diseases.

9.https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/10519815241300297#:~:text=In%20the%20eight%20sectors%20considered,Data%20availability%20statement