He told members of the Mothers' Union at a meeting in Westminster that men should take a leaf out of their book and set up their own support networks.

He said: "Men are very secretive, particularly with problems involving personal relationships, and particularly, I suggest, with problems they may find with their role as parents."

Mr Straw said a club had been set up in his Blackburn constituency to help men share their "feelings and emotions".

Changing role

He told the MU that the increasing numbers of women who went out to work meant the traditional man's role was changing, and it was vital that young boys had good role models.

Mr Straw said the government had already announced plans for a £2m National Family and Parenting Institute and wanted to encourage a culture in which families felt able to ask for help and advice when things went wrong.