Men are starting to come out of their emotional shell more - but it's not something their families are necessarily ready for, according to Shane Coleman.
The Newstalk Breakfast host was responding to Chartered Psychologist Dr Julie Hannan, who said that some women are still not ready for men to open up about their emotions.
She suggested women in midlife can find themselves coming to the end of their - often disproportionate - caring responsibilities for children and wanting to pursue second careers or interests.
Meanwhile, men are often nearing the end of their careers and may be growing more interested in nurturing relationships.
"Men in their 40s and 50s are starting to break through and talk about their emotions,” she told The Times.
“And some women who got married to the strong silent type, the emotional regulator, may be unnerved; they may think, ‘Hang on a second, this wasn’t the deal we got into.'"
There are more men wanting to shift towards that dynamic with their long-term partners and not getting the emotional understanding in return. That’s a lot of what I see now.”
'More acceptable for a woman to cry'
Shane said he's not sure all families are prepared for an emotional man.
"The only time I think my kids have ever seen me cry is probably a few tears at a film like [The Notebook] or at a time when we've lost a family member," he said.
"I haven't cried in frustration; I haven't broken down because we're having an argument at home.
"Maybe this is just my age and I'm sure younger men are much more in tune with their emotions and so on [but] I have this kind of instinct - which could be wrong - that my kids don't really want me to show vulnerability.
"They've never said this to me, I could be totally wrong but I suppose, maybe, that's my upbringing – 'Don't show vulnerability, you're the strong one'.
"It's definitely more acceptable for a girl or a woman to cry, isn't it?"
'Other people's expectations'
Fellow presenter Ciara Kelly said she believes everyone is trapped in their expected societal roles.
"We are very much the product of other people's expectations," she said.
"We tend to stay in the role that is assigned to us by our families, by society, in our own heads we carry that role.
"I think that that traditional role of a man is that protector, provider...people talk about toxic masculinity - all the positive things that people ascribe to masculinity about being strong and all those things.
"It's a bit of a trap, but it's there... men were brought up to think that that was their role, but women were brought up to think that that was men's role too.
"When men try and break out of that role for themselves, or for the people around them, I think that's a challenge for everybody," she added.
Dr Hannan said partners and families should be involved in supporting men to show their emotions.
