Unemployment, or the inability to find a good source of income, is one of the major problems impacting an individual’s mental health. Though it affects both men and women, as the onus to earn a living lies mainly on a man, in a Pakistani society, he tends to be heavily affected by unemployment. Losing a job or being unable to find an appropriate one makes a man lose his self-worth and identity. With his inability to earn a living for himself and his family, his confidence shatters, leading to various mental health problems like depression and anxiety.
In this article, we shall talk about the impact of unemployment on a man’s mental health in the context of Pakistani society.
Depression and Anxiety
Unemployment comes with the feeling of being lost, a sense of uselessness, or being ashamed. In the Pakistani culture, people place a great emphasis on the inability of a man to earn a living. How much money he can earn each month decides his success or failure.
Staying jobless for a considerable amount of time can make one feel worthless, developing a sense of never-ending grief and sadness. With this depression comes anxiety. As the responsibilities on his shoulders get heavier, he falls into the trap of self-doubt.
Men are seen as breadwinners in Pakistani society, especially in rural areas. Unemployment impacts a man’s social status, and eventually, people start looking down upon his inability to fulfill his basic responsibility of earning and feeding his family. This leads to low self-esteem, causing depression and anxiety to worsen with time.
Chronic Stress
Prolonged unemployment and an inability to cover even the most basic expenses of daily life can make a man suffer from chronic stress. In simple words, chronic stress refers to a long-term and continued state of emotional and physical tension. The physical action of going for interviews daily and the emotional stress of losing out on those job prospects turn into chronic stress.
When the stress goes beyond a particular limit, it turns the body into a regular “fight-or-flight” mode. This is called chronic stress and it starts impacting the normal functioning of the body as well.
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Introduction to Drugs
Extreme stress leads to a person’s introduction to drugs. He starts opting for them with the hope of releasing stress. Initially, he considers it a short-term escape from his problems, without the intention to continue using drugs for long. However, this addiction is so strong that he ends up getting addicted to it with no idea how to come back to normal life.
Substance abuse turns out to be a coping mechanism for men who are unable to find the right job. Soon, it turns into their normal way of life, consuming every inch of them before they’re able to find a rehabilitation center.
Social Isolation
The idea of shame associated with the inability to earn a reasonable living makes one feel dejected. Wherever he goes, he has to answer countless questions regarding his job status. This annoys him to the core. He feels humiliated when he is asked about his earnings and lifestyle.
Eventually, he decides to stay away from all social gatherings and adopts a life of social isolation.
Strained Relationships
Prolonged unemployment can strain relationships, especially when the individual is married. Married men have responsibilities of their families on their shoulders and are responsible for their lifestyle. Often, it is the inability to provide for them that leads to affecting their relationships. Unemployment can lead to breakups and divorces. This can further throw the man into deep pits of hopelessness.
Comparisons of parents with more successful family members of the same age are also frequent in the life of an unemployed person. This leads to never ending arguments and resentment. The unemployed person is hopeless, while his parents try to motivate him but all goes in vain. This also means the unemployed individual is financially dependent on his parents or more successful siblings.
In Pakistani society, there are traditional gender roles followed by people. They’re so strict that no one dares shift away from them. These unwritten roles make the man of the house responsible for earning a living. When he cannot do so, he is looked down upon. He always has to be a provider, and never a receiver. Being unemployed challenges his basic masculine capabilities, and he gets shamed by the community.
The inability to pay for the basic needs forces him to avoid paying for professional help regarding mental health issues. Even if he is aware of the psychological challenges he is going through, he would avoid going to a mental health expert simply to save money.
How to help?
Strict cultural norms don’t help anyone! Rather, they make the lives of people difficult. An unemployed person not being able to fulfil society’s expectations and a young girl not able to find the right match for herself are two shining examples of this phenomena. It is necessary to provide such people help and support, rather than mocking them and further worsening their mental health.
Online psychologists working with SehatYab provide easy access to such individuals and help them cope with the mental pressure that comes with being unemployed.
