Yes! Patriarchy is harmful to both men and women. The degree of harm might differ for both the genders, but it doesn’t mean that men are totally free from it. Patriarchy poses millions of problems for men as well. Men are constantly told to be “manly” as if that even means something. The society has made a patriarchal notion of men, and that just means that a man should be physically strong, un-emotional, un-caring, and the sole earner of the family.
Boys from young age start getting pressurised for not showing emotions. They are told that “boys don’t cry” or “boys are not weak” and other stuff like that. This significantly affects their mental health, and men usually internalize this harmful notion that they are always supposed to come off as emotionally “strong” and never show their emotions. They feel that crying is a sign of weakness and they constantly neglect their true emotions only for the fear of what will people say. And the harm of patriarchy in men’s lives doesn’t just stop here. Men are taught from a young age that they’ll be the bread winner of the family, they are constantly told to give up on their actual dreams just so that they can earn more and that too as early in their life as possible.
So it is apparent that patriarchy is not only harmful towards women (as is the usual notion) but it also impacts men’s lives in a very negative way and overall it is very harmful for the society.