When thinking about moving forward in terms of development and how to do so in a more holistic manner through the incorporation of all gendered beings including men, we must stop to also analyze the definition of men and masculinity as also a social construction that has taken place in the dichotomy comparison of men and women.
In
this regard, the opening words for the 2018 American Psychological Association
for Practice included the phrase “Boys and men are diverse”. The analysis drew upon
the idea that men in modern times have been categorized within the homogenous notion
of ‘masculinity’ as a positivist and favorable condition within societies and
although this is greatly true, there is need to further study just how this homogenous
notion also further affects men and by relationship women around the world.
Specific
narratives around strength both physically, mentally and emotionally,
self-reliance and risk can actually be harmful for the well-being of men and can
be contributing factors to outcomes such as suicide, depression or substance
abuse. Furthermore, according to Phillipe Leonard, “Men falling into the ‘trap
of patriarchal masculinity’ is not only hurting the people they wish to be
involved in their lives but also themselves by not allowing them to explore
themselves beyond the status quo of gender”
Although,
this is articulating the need for men to break out of the traditional roles of negative
masculinities, stating that they “fall into the trap” sends out the message that
it accidental and coincidental when this happens, therefore breaking men free
from their own power of choice. But what can men then do to try to break out of
these stereotypical roles that are both harmful for themselves and for others?
A
guardian article published in 2018, by Richard Godwin accounts for his
testimonial experience of attending a men’s group in London. Although most men
there were white and cisgendered, through his experience he was able to understand
the internal and emotional struggles that men carry by abiding to the normative
masculinities. In addition, he soon came to realize that through these struggles
and the necessity for change other struggles from the harmful narratives of
masculinity emerged and counter acted on his personal desire to not be put in
the same group as other men that practiced toxic masculinities.
“But there are moments – say when I’m happily
cooking with my son – when the dominant narrative of masculinity as toxic,
entitled, corrupt, dysfunctional and so on seems a little limiting. If you’ve
always found men such as Weinstein despicable and pathetic, it’s disorienting
to find yourself in the same category as him by virtue of also having a penis.
A couple of times, I’ve begun the sentence: “You know, not all men… ” only to
recall that that in itself is seen as a dick move.” - Richard Godwin The Guardian
Although
much work in understanding and incorporating masculinities and male
participation within development is still needed, it is becoming more popular
for men to attend men’s groups, gender classes or even carrying out
non-traditional roles within households. These are all valid and necessary
entry points for men to continue to fight alongside women for an equal and
equitable change.
Bibliography:
Richard Godwin, 2018, Men after #Me Too, The Guardian
Philippe Leonard, 2018, Reasons why Feminism is Good and not bad for Men
Mabe, I love your article.
ReplyDeleteSince our class of masculinities, I have been thinking about our social stigmas and paradigms regarding men. There is a podcast called "De machos a hombres" (it is in Spanish), but it aligns with your post because the person interviewed is Nicko Nogués, an activist that encourages social change targeting men. He questions men's mindset and promotes the creation of safe spaces (focus groups) to support a transformation that can be very challenging for men. In other words, to feel okay about themselves and question how much male chauvinism values are worth pursuing. As Datta explained in her article "Changing constructions of fatherhood in urban Botswana?" men are suffering the pressure to keep up with standards and social expectations. The idea of hiding emotions such as depression, not being able to open up and talk about their private life, and not being able to look for help because they 'are strong enough to know what to do' (pg. 109) are undermining their mental health, leading them to alcoholism or violence. As a result, no men or women are getting benefits from this traditional archetype (patriarchy).
Nicko Nogués is what we discussed about men being in the mainstream so others can feel motivated to create a social transformation. He wrote a book called "hackea tu macho" (hack your male chauvinist side), where he brings up a new idea of positive masculinities, challenges men to dare their toxic masculinity, and includes how important it is for society (counting companies) to stop pressing and putting expectations in men allowing them to discover for themselves what they want to be. Furthermore, aligning with the principal idea of your post, I believe it is not only time to deconstruct social patterns but also allow new ones to be born. So, we do not have dichotomies of men and women or black and white but a grayscale where everyone can contribute to a societal transformation, starting by discovering whom they want to be.
I will leave the link to the podcast I found if someone is interested in the activist, he also talks about the book he wrote.
References:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mimxcBLmyN8&t=1515s
Mabel, thank you for sharing your thoughts! Weeks back, we discussed the homogenization of the category of "third world women," and you draw important attention to how contemporary discourses solidify a similar static understanding of men and masculinity.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of patriarchal masculinity (mentioned in one of your sources) is important, as it draws attention away from individual actors to systems of power that structure our ideas of masculinity in the process of social construction. Men can be victims of patriarchy, too. And, as we discussed in class, incorporating men in development, treating them as gendered beings, opens up opportunities to examine how men differ, and how patriarchy creates divisions within men in order to achieve some type of compliance to the functions of power (an ideal "man," or woman, is a construction that no one can live up to, but cultural forces condition us to aim for this impossible ideal). The hierarchization between men, in particular, is a key element in this conversation. At times, I find myself even wondering the extent to which testosterone can be the primary explanatory factor (alongside socialization) in competitiveness/aggression in men?
Finally, I also wonder how masculinities are shifting. With masculinity's cultural construction, and with the pervasiveness of U.S. influence around the world, I am curious how cultural-based local masculinities begin to shift when western forces in development projects intercede in programming? We haven't explicitly talked about U.S. masculine ideals in class, but these considerations and questions come to mind -- especially with U.S. norms changing for men. While rigid gendered norms are becoming more fluid, a rise of public normative (hyper) masculinity can be seen since the Trump Presidency.
Again, really interesting thoughts, as you can see with my additional musings!