Healthy masculinities? How ostensibly healthy men talk about lifestyle, health and gender

Abstract

Research on men's health has predominantly focussed on links between 'hegemonic' masculinities (e.g. perceived invulnerability) and health-averse practices (e.g. high fat diets). However, it seems reasonable to assume that not all men adopt conventional 'unhealthy' masculine positions, so it is important to study those men who are engaged in healthy practices to see how masculinity is constructed in this context. The research reported here derives from an interview study with men categorised as pursuing health-promoting lifestyles (regular exercise, no/low alcohol intake etc.). The focus is on how these apparently 'healthy' men (n = 10) account for their health-promoting practices, with a particular focus on the role of masculinities in framing these practices. Following intensive analysis of the interview transcripts drawing upon elements of discourse analysis, we identify a variety of accounts used by the men to frame their health-promoting practices. For example, all the men disavowed a direct interest in talking/thinking about health, construed as excessive and feminine, and instead justified their practices variously in terms of action-orientation, sporting targets, appearance concerns and being autonomous. These findings are discussed with respect to the relationships between masculinities and health, and implications for health promotion work with men are discussed.

Disability, sport and men's narratives of health: A qualitative study.

“…Differing from the work by Sloan et al (2010) John's comments typify the stories of the other men in this study. They differ though from the stories analyzed in other SCI research.…”

“…Similarly, Sloan, Gough, and Conner (2010) noted that when men take up some health behaviors censure does not automatically result, positioning these men as 'subordinate' or 'marginalized' (Connell, 1995). Thus, as these authors suggested, the traditional masculinity-health relationship, in which masculinity has a negative impact on health behavior, is not as straightforward as often proposed.…”

Engagement with meditation as a positive health trajectory: Divergent narratives of progress in male meditators

“…Likewise, while alcohol use is a way for men to demonstrate masculinity, some men justified abstinence by positioning it as a manifestation of other masculine norms such as independence from the herd (de Visser, Smith, & McDonnell, 2009). Similarly, Sloan et al (2010) studied men who engaged in regular exercise, and found they eschewed speaking directly about health -presenting health concerns as feminine -but justified their behaviour by invoking traditionally masculine discourses of action, success, and autonomy.…”

“…For example, spirituality is not regarded as traditionally masculine, partly since it conflicts with ideals around rationality (Ross- Smith & Kornberger, 2004). However, just as Sloan et al (2010) found in relation to exercise, this reworking still incorporated more conventional masculine ideals. In particular, as some participants themselves pointed out, the central theme of progress itself reflects a concern with linearity and achievement associated with conventional masculinity (Connell, 1995).…”

“We have friends, for example, and he will not get a vasectomy”: Imagining the self in relation to others when talking about sterilization.

“…In fact, vasectomy's immediate health advantages largely benefit the partners of those men who undergo the procedure, through a shift of the 'contraceptive burden' (Dudgeon & Inhorn, 2003;Oudshoorn, 2003;Terry & Braun, 2011b). Furthermore, research on men 'in health' continues to be rare (Sloan, Gough, & Conner, 2010), with more emphasis placed on the manner in which men engage with the experiences of ill health (Gough & Robertson, 2010), and the ways identification with certain types of masculinities are constructed as creating poor health outcomes (Courtenay, 2000;Gough & Robertson, 2010;White, 2006). However, research on men accounting for an operation such as vasectomy provides potential insight into the way men might 'make sense' of health decisions more generally.…”