Nick Fletcher said “female replacements” in shows like Doctor Who were robbing boys of good role models.
“Is there any wonder we are seeing so many young men committing crime?,” he asked during a debate on International Men’s Day.
His comments were met with surprise by Labour Party chair Anneliese Dodds, who said she thought she had “misheard” him.
The reason boys turned to a life of crime was “far more complex” than “who should be the next 007”, she added.
But later, Mr Fletcher tweeted a statement, saying his “rather nuanced point” that there were “increasingly fewer male role models for young boys” had been “misconstrued”.
Mr Fletcher also listed some statistics, including the fact male suicide rates are three times higher than women and that 96% of people in prison are men and boys.
He also attacked the phrase “toxic masculinity”, used to describe the pressure on men to stick to traditional views of how they should act, saying it “vilified” men and led them to feeling “worthless”.