Is Australia’s healthcare system letting new dads down?

For Simon Pryce, the children’s entertainer better known as the Red Wiggle, becoming a father changed everything.

“Being a dad has redefined my life,” he says. “It’s now about caring for, nurturing, and ensuring the wellbeing of someone else.”

Pryce is a dad to a three-year-old son, Asher. And while he describes fatherhood as “the greatest gift you can possibly have,” Pryce also understands how tough those early years can be for new dads. “There are times when you feel alone and wonder if you’re on the right path,” he says. “Support for dads within the healthcare system is incredibly important, but I’m not sure we’re there yet.”

The healthcare gap for men in Australia

Pryce is not alone in feeling concerned about the state of Australia’s healthcare system.

Movember’s Real Face of Men’s Health report found there is a big healthcare gap for men in Australia. Men are less likely than women to ask for help when they need it, and when they do, the health system does not always respond to their needs – particularly when it comes to mental health concerns.

That’s a big problem, as around 1 in 10 new fathers will develop postnatal depression – with many of those suffering struggling to access the help they need.

There are multifaceted reasons why men’s healthcare lags behind, but the problem starts early in life. While women often establish relationships with healthcare practitioners in their teenage years as they seek out contraception and cervical cancer screenings, men don’t have the same experience. In adulthood, more than one in three men do not have a preferred GP, meaning they don’t have someone they feel comfortable turning to when they need assistance.

Attitudes from healthcare providers also play a role. Movember’s Real Face of Men’s Health report found that 42 per cent of men agreed that men’s health isn’t taken as seriously as women’s health.

2021 research also found that publicly-funded maternity care does not extend to the provision of care tailored specifically towards the needs of fathers, with one midwife admitting that if a dad was struggling with his mental health, she “really wouldn’t know how to go about” getting them help.

And while new mums are assigned a mothers’ group by their hospital, antenatal class or family health clinic, the same isn’t usually done for men. Which is a shame, because men like Pryce say that finding community among other fathers makes a huge difference in those early years.

“Connecting with other dads is so important —it helps put everything into perspective,” he says.

Overcoming barriers to men’s mental health care

Movember’s Real Face of Men’s Health report found attitudes about masculinity can also be a barrier to care. One in every five men polled agreed that men are less likely to get depressed (19 per cent) and less likely to need mental health support (20 per cent) than women – beliefs that may prevent men from seeking care when they need it.

And if they do seek help, men may find it hard to vocalise the true extent of their problem. Movember’s report revealed that nearly two out of every three men (63 per cent) feel that gender stereotypes like the idea that men should “tough it out” have affected their health behaviours and experiences in healthcare settings. These feelings are even more pronounced among men with mental health conditions, rising to 71%

But it’s a problem Australia desperately needs to solve. Because being able to access effective mental health care is crucial – both for dads themselves and the next generation they are raising.

“You quickly realise that prioritising your health becomes essential because you have little ones depending on you,” says fellow Wiggle and young dad Lachlan Gillespie. “There comes a moment when you think, ‘I want to be there for them, and I want to set a good example.’ Being in a positive headspace is crucial because children absorb everything around them.”

Pryce agrees: “Healthy dads and men pave the way for a healthier world.”

If men’s health matters to you, join Movember’s petition and push for more government action around men’s health issues.