PUTRAJAYA: The newly established Men Empowerment Network (MEN) will help shape Malaysia's first comprehensive national study on men's well-being and empowerment under the 13th Malaysia Plan.
Women, Family and Community Development Minister Nancy Shukri said findings and recommendations from the Men's Empowerment Consultative Forum would serve as key inputs for the national study.
The study, Kajian Lelaki Budiman Negara, begins this month and will run for 18 months.
"The study will help us formulate the Lelaki Budiman Negara initiative to produce resilient, responsible men who can contribute meaningfully to family well-being and national development," she said when opening the forum at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre on Thursday (July 2).
Nancy said MEN was established as a strategic platform bringing together government agencies, non-governmental organisations, academics, professionals and individuals.
The network will coordinate programmes, interventions and advocacy related to men's empowerment.
The initiative was set in motion through an engagement session on April 30 involving 18 NGOs focused on men's empowerment, she added.
"MEN is not merely a collaborative network but a catalyst for building the Lelaki Budiman Negara initiative," she said.
"We want to nurture more men who respect women, share family responsibilities, prioritise mental well-being and become husbands, fathers and leaders with integrity," she said.
Nancy stressed that empowering men should go beyond their traditional role as breadwinners and include emotional resilience, mental well-being, parenting literacy, financial management skills and stronger social support systems.
She said men today, particularly young fathers, face increasingly complex challenges, including rising living costs, balancing career demands with family responsibilities and raising children amid the influence of digital media.
"Many are also struggling to adapt to their role as heads of households without adequate support," she said.
"These challenges require men to be resilient not only physically but also emotionally," she said.
Citing Health Ministry data, Nancy said the suicide rate among men was almost three times higher than that of women.
Meanwhile, the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2023 found that 4.6% of Malaysians aged 16 and above experienced depression, including men.
She also highlighted economic pressures on families, noting that household debt stood at 84.3% of gross domestic product, according to Bank Negara.
At the same time, divorce cases rose 4.1% to 60,457 in 2024, with financial stress, failure to manage family maintenance obligations and prolonged domestic conflicts among the contributing factors, she said.
Nancy added that police statistics for 2025 showed that 95% of domestic violence perpetrators were men, underscoring the need for a more holistic approach to men's development.
She stressed that empowering men was not about placing one gender above another, but about nurturing men who are knowledgeable, ethical and compassionate.
"An empowered man is not one who dominates, but one who leads with wisdom, shares responsibilities and respects women as partners in building a family," she said.
Nancy said stronger men would ultimately lead to stronger families, communities and a more resilient nation.
