Background to the Research

• This Research Update uses data from a module of questions entitled "Men's Life and Times", which was included in the 2000 Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey.
• Questions were devised in conjunction with The Men's Project, and asked both men and women about their attitudes to issues facing men.
  

Research Approach

• 1800 adults and 259 young people were interviewed in their own homes.
  

Main Findings

• Men's Life and Times is a milestone - it is the first large-scale random sample survey of the attitudes of both men and women in Northern Ireland to the issues affecting men.
• The important role of fathers and the need for this to be reflected in legal and welfare systems, were acknowledged.
• There is an ongoing conflict between the demands of the workplace and family life.
• School is a key place for helping young people to break out of stereotypes, and to value and respect the opposite sex.
• The use of the male pill was regarded with some scepticism.
• The majority of respondents rejected discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation
• These results raise serious issues for policy makers. There was a particular desire for specific dedicated support services for men, as well as for gender awareness curriculum development in schools.