Thinking Critically About Rural Gender Relations: Toward a Rural Masculinity Crisis/Male Peer Support Model of Separation/Divorce Sexual Assault

Abstract

After decades of neglect, a growing number of scholars have turned their attention to issues of crime and criminal justice in the rural context. Despite this improvement, rural crime research is underdeveloped theoretically, and is little informed by critical criminological perspectives. In this article, we introduce the broad tenets of a multi-level theory that links social and economic change to the reinforcement of rural This paper was presented at the 2006 annual meeting of the

Reconstructing Violent Rural Masculinities: Responding to Fractures in the Rural Gender Order in Australia

“…Research by DeKeseredy et al (2007) revealed that marriages in the studied rural communities were characterised by very traditional gendered divisions of labour. However, these gendered arrangements were unsettled by the rural decline, as many women sought paid work when men were unable to provide for their families.…”

“…While job losses have occurred in both rural and urban contexts, there has been a more significant economic downturn in many rural communities. Many commentators have noted that men have been more affected by this economic restructuring and unemployment because they struggle to maintain traditional forms of masculinity associated with being the sole provider and head of the family (Carrington & Scott, 2008;DeKeseredy et al, 2007;Foskey & Avery, 2004;Sherman, 2005). For these men, relationships are likely to be more unstable and higher levels of family conflict are expected because they are endeavouring to maintain expectations of a form of masculinity that eludes them.…”

“…In their interviews with rural men, Hogg and Carrington (2006) found evidence of masculinities that were not reproducing violence against women. DeKeseredy et al (2007) also report on unemployed rural men who do not intensify their control and domination over their wives in the face of the current crisis. Instead, they have managed to adapt their masculinity to encompass more active fathering and involved family life.…”

“…The "rural idyll," as some refer to it (Bell, 1997;Wendt, 2009) is the notion of describing rural lifestyles as positive, friendly, safe and cosy (Struthers, 1994) where people live happier and simpler lives (DeKeseredy et al, 2007).…”

Social Isolation and Weapon Use in Intimate Partner Violence Incidents in Rural Areas

“…The remoteness of the places in which some of these battered women live exacerbates this sociocultural isolation. Websdale and others (DeKeseredy and Joseph, 2006;DeKeseredy, Donnermeyer, Schwartz, Tunnell and Hall, 2007) have argued that this situation is made even worse by the generally impoverished conditions of rural areas and the lack of structural resources which are available to women in more affluent communities (e.g., health care, social services, transportation).…”