I spoke to a few of Ireland brightest entrepreneurs about a difficult subject, their mental health. An entrepreneur is a different type of individual, you get a clear sense when you speak to them that their drive is on a different par to others. They speak freely, and without fear. What arose from these conversations shed light on a different issue, and not so much any of their own.
The idea of a traditional family consisting of a man, a woman and their children held true in Ireland for generations. This has changed over recent years. The marriage referendum allowed for same sex marriages, meaning a family on this little Island does not need a mixture of both sexes.
But referring back to previous decades, gender roles stayed fairly inflexible. In Irish families, the husband would provide the income and the women would be ‘stay-at-home mothers’ whose job was primarily to look after the children.
Now more than ever, women in the workforce is common practice, but it would appear young men around the country have left their mentality in Irish history. ‘I have nothing to offer a woman’ was the phrase used by one of the Rubberbandits duo Blindboy when referring to a mental health crisis in young men in Ireland.
The plastic-bag mask wearing rapper went on to preach that young men in Ireland need to embrace feminism in an interview with The Late Late Show. He believes young Irish men view feminism as an attempt for power by women, when in reality it’s about achieving equality and this will help them realise the changes which have taken place over the past few decades.
Young entrepreneurs like Sarah O’Connor of ‘Cool Beans’ understand this issue. O’Connor has experienced these attitudes first hand during her time in business. ‘’There is this kind of stigma that women leave on time because they want to go and see their kids but men, that’s not an acceptable thing to say or do, that needs to change,’’ she said.
‘’I’ve been lucky enough that I’ve been able to take a wage cut and pursue my dream of having my own business. But there are so many people who aren’t able to do that. Facing going into work every day for the next 40 years doing something you don’t love, the psychological toll that takes on men and women is really difficult,’’ she said.
‘’Social pressure is all the time. It’s tough for men and women, but the role of a man has shifted completely. The whole thing of the man having to provide, that’s gone out the window,” she said.
Cathal O’ Sullivan is the founder and owner of Gamex.io. At the age of only 24 his company was the beneficiary of a large investment from Enterprise Ireland and he is now the manager of multiple staff members.
‘’I would like if I was able to have my future wife and kids to be comfortable. To be able to provide for them. So there is pressure there yeah. I’ve been able to cope with it, it drives me on really,’’ he said
His success and drive can be seen in his roots. ‘’My mum and dad both were both self-made, had their own companies. My brother was like a superstar; he has always done well. They made me see that I needed to get my act together, so I always had a thing in the back of my mind that I had to succeed and that I had a standard to live up to. But I did always think I would get there,’’ he said.
O’Sullivan is fully aware of his responsibilities, and the fact that such large investment was given to his business so young doesn’t seem to have taken a toll mentally, but he understands that income for young people can be a scary thought.
‘’When I first started this, it was just me and a fellow college student, we had no pressure. But since it has gotten a bit bigger I’ve gotten now people who have wives, older staff where having a proper salary is really important. They trust me that I’m going to make money,’’ he said.
‘’I can understand why young men, and women, are having mental health problems because of this. I know for men there is the whole thing of having to provide, but women have that now too of course. Coming out of college with a degree, but then the pressure of finding a job in this competitive environment. That’s tough.’’
‘’If the company did go bust, I’d like to think I’ve came far enough that I have experience in this field now and I can help others,’’ he said.
“But some of the other guys might not be OK, and in that way there is pressure. I’m not worried about providing for my family in the future, I’m confident I can no matter what happens. The guys who have supported and worked with me on this journey, I want to succeed for them as well,” said O’Sullivan.
Timothy McElroy, co-founder of housemydog.com, would like to see more help from the state on this issue, but also offers a solution similar to Blindboy’s theory on young men and how they can benefit from feminism.
‘’I think men in Ireland would benefit from an empowerment movement like feminism. Not as a replacement but as a compliment to feminism, one that drives social change and reshapes what it means to be a man in the 21st century” he said.
‘‘We are living through rapid economic and social change, and that can lead to instability. Many men today are living a 20th century ideal of what it means to be a man, while economically and socially this ideal is not viable anymore,” said McElroy.
‘’The only people who are going to change this mould is men. Men hold the majority of corporate power in this country and if it’s going to change they are going to have to be the drivers of it,’’ said O’Connor.
She was keen to mention the app Headspace, a meditation based app aimed for those who haven’t dabbled in the practice. Upon writing this piece, Headspace is now a daily routine, and is something which anyone can and should try with an open mind.
The world is changing rapidly because of changing technologies and economics. But it is also changing culturally and the success of a modern day entrepreneur depends on their ability to adapt to all these changes.
