According to one embodiment, a magnetic head for perpendicular recording includes a slider includes a facing surface, and a head section on the slider. The head section includes a main pole, a recording coil configured to excite the main pole, a write/shield pole opposed to a trailing side of the main pole across a write gap, and side shields disposed individually on opposite sides of the main pole transversely relative to a track to face side faces of the main pole and magnetically separated from the main pole. That part of a side face of each of the side shields opposed to each corresponding side face of the main pole which is located at the shortest distance from a leading end of each of the side faces of the main pole, on the facing surface, includes a permeability lower than that of the other part of the side shield.