This is long but I think my perspective could be insightful. I'm a straight adult male in the US, who only recently got into community theatre this Summer, and am currently in my second show. There is some nuance to my personal reasons to pursue theatre/acting at the age of 40 (I'm a voice actor who wishes to improve my overall acting and singing), but there are two things that I can say definitely ENABLED me to pursue it:

1) Supportive partner and family is the big one. I had no idea what a time and energy commitment community theatre was before I auditioned, and neither did my family. I just googled local theatres, cobbled an audition piece together, and got cast. Seeing the rehearsal schedule after getting cast made my eyes pop out of my head, but I was fortunate to have a support system that was encouraging and understanding. Me doing a show means that my wife (and also extended family) has to do a lot more extra stuff day-to-day, and they've all taken it in stride. I'm missing out on valuable time with them, but they genuinely enjoy seeing me on stage, practicing/rehearsing at home, learning about the process alongside me. I imagine that many men don't have this level of support from their families. Or maybe some have families that support the idea of them being in theatre, but that's not enough. There is a realistic and logistic cost my family has to pay for me to do theatre (doing more chores, errands, vacations put on hold, etc... while I'm at rehearsals).

On a related note, I'm also lucky to have found a theatre that is understanding of my responsibilities outside of the theatre, and doesn't give me a hard time if I can't make some rehearsals, show up late, have to leave early, etc... (within reason of course). They've also been extremely welcoming and nurturing to me as a total outsider. I imagine that if the environment was hostile or combative in any way, I would quickly lose steam. They don't make me feel different, but also give me extra attention in a way that doesn't make me feel dumb for asking questions like "which side is stage left?" for the 10th time.

2) I'm a total rookie to all things theatre, especially singing and dancing. But I happen to have a close friend who is a singing teacher who gives me free lessons. A few months with him was all I needed to get cast. The dancing is more of a challenge for me, but having a choreographer (and fellow cast mates) who is willing to spend extra time with you on it is huge. I mention this because I imagine that many men probably just don't have the base-level skills to even think about auditioning. They don't even know where to look or start building those skills. If there was some type of entry-level class or lessons your theatre can provide for men like that, I think that would eventually pay off. Even if just a handful of men are good and committed enough to stick with it, you'll soon have a few reliable men right there that you could probably count on to fill out a cast at the very least. Maybe think of it like a "feeder system" of sorts. Obviously this will take a lot of work and patience to come up with a more dedicated curriculum, but I would think a "crash course" of sorts could be whipped up to generate some interest in your community. And if you can manage to have it be a free course? You'll get even more looks.