Men get lonely too.
- Kaitlyn Mckinney
- Dec 8, 2025
- 2 min read
When researching for this website, we noticed an abundance of clubs and groups for women. This may be because we are the target audience, but even as we looked for male-focused groups, we found them hard to find.
Why is this? Why is there a lack of support for men who are experiencing loneliness?
Stereotypically, men do not like to talk about their feelings. Many have been raised to see emotions as a weakness, something to never acknowledge.
Thankfully this is a dying attitude, but it is still too prevalent within todays society.
According to the Office for National Statistics, men have higher suicide rates in comparison to women, at a rate to 16.4 per 100,000 for men to 5.4 per 100,000 for women.
The mental health of women has been pushed in to the spotlight over the last few years, the mental health of men has failed to achieve the same exposure.
Many men say that they feel unable to open up to their closest friends, let alone mental health professionals. Dr John Radcliff stated, "older men were less likely to state they are lonely, less likely to make deep social connections, and more reliant on wives/girlfriends, booze, and denial to tackle loneliness".
With all this evidence, surely men would benefit from similar social clubs that are rising in popularity amongst women?
When googling "male social clubs in Edinburgh", the majority of results are private members clubs, clubs for those 65+, or Andy's man club. These are not entirely inclusive.
I'm sure a few years back, if you did the same google for women's clubs, it wouldn't be dissimilar, however the landscape there has changed.
The few clubs that are inclusive are mostly charities. For instance, Andy's Man Club is a UK wide service, with multiple groups in Edinburgh. It provides a support group specifically with men, holding their sessions on a Monday.
However, this might not suit everyone.
Not everyone specifically wants to talk about their mental health, preferring to destress and spend their time with other people doing something they like to do.
Groups surrounding the latter are sparse, especially in Scotland. With a few Reddit threads suggesting things like chess clubs or run clubs, there seems to be a lack of options.
There is also the issue of promotion.
The internet is so oversaturated that a club or groups needs to have some type of promotion to have a chance of reaching their target audience. Whether that be an Instagram or a TikTok, an opportunity to create a community is required.
Female-focused groups such as the Girls Craft Club seem to benefit from following current trends to gain and keep a following - using popular TikTok sounds and cutesy instagram posts. Male-led groups could benefit from using the same tactics to increase in popularity.
No matter who you are, the fact is that we are all lonelier than we were a decade ago. However, at the moment, more effort needs to be put into helping men, creating those spaces where they can feel at peace and like they belong.
Comments