Notions About Men and Masculinities Among Health Care Professionals Working With Men’s Sexual Health: A Focus Group Study

Abstract

Health care professionals’ (HCPs) notions about gender may influence the provision and quality of care. If care-seeking men are met by HCPs holding idealized and stereotypical notions of masculinity, this could reinforce barriers to adequate care. This study explored notions about men and masculinities among HCPs working with men’s sexual health in Sweden. Focus group interviews with 35 HCPs from primary health and sexual health clinics were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The analysis resulted in three descriptive themes: (a) Contradictory masculinity—elusive but clear. Notions of masculinity as a phenomenon or concept were elusive, but masculine and un-masculine traits, behaviors, and qualities were clear. (b) Sexual health care is a social place where men and masculinities can be challenging. Male patients were associated with unwanted sexual tensions. Masculinity could challenge professionality. Seeking sexual health care was perceived as doing un-masculinity. (c) Regarding masculinity as irrelevant—a difficult ambition to achieve. Participants strived for gender-neutrality by regarding patients as humans, individuals, or patients rather than as men and masculine. The analysis also identified a theme of meaning: Notions of masculinity are situated relationally. HCPs situate masculinity in real and hypothetical relationships. Romantic and sexual preferences were used to define preferred masculinity. This study identified themes that showed how HCPs balanced professional and private notions of men and masculinity in their patient encounters. Increased gender awareness and training are needed to professionalize the management of gendered notions in encounters with men who seek care for sexual health problems.

Healthcare professionals discourses on men and masculinities in sexual healthcare: a focus group study

“…In a previous study, we found that a lack of training and organisational prerequisites affected HCPs’ views on working with men’s sexual health [ 55 ]. The lack of a shared approach to men’s sexual health, and the absence of a professional discourse, indicate that training on men’s sexual health and masculinity is missing from education.…”

“…The data in this study were used in a previous study on HCPs’ notions about men and masculinity [ 55 ]. Re-using qualitative data in health research has been described as “an especially fertile domain” [ 81 ], and conducting a secondary analysis of qualitative data has been recommended for investigating potentially sensitive topics [ 82 ].…”

“…The data in this study were previous used in a study on HCPs’ notions about men and masculinity [ 55 ]. This study, taking a discourse perspective, offers a secondary analysis of the focus groups interviews.…”

“…We also found that HCPs’ notions of masculinity were situated in relationships, i.e. that HCPs understood masculinity in a context of their own intimate, private and sometimes sexualised relationships [ 55 ], whether these were real or hypothetical. The study showed how the gendered social location of masculinity was perceived in SHC.…”

Differences in how women and men in a Swedish population-based sample think about sick leave: A cross-sectional vignette study

“…Gendered perception has also been identified in organisations, connecting men’s leadership styles with strength and being agentic and women’s with being considerate and supportive [ 15 ]. A qualitative study of health care professionals’ notions on masculinity identified how the participants discussed masculinity as elusive but distinct [ 16 ]. The elusive concept contradicted the distinct descriptions of masculine and unmasculine traits, behaviour, and qualities.…”