‘Understanding Male Violence from a Socio-Cultural Perspective’

1. ‘Understanding Male Violence from a Socio-Cultural Perspective’ Jorge Argueta, DBA, CADC, Avance Counseling & Harper College

2. Sex roles and gender socialisation: • A sex role includes a number of normative expectations about how one should behave as male or female • Masculinity and femininity are socially constructed categories that elaborate upon “natural” sex differences • Masculinity is institutionalised in social structures such as the family, schooling, mass media and religion, where boys are socialised to become masculine

3. Defining Gender Connell’s (1995) critique of sex role and gender socialisation: • Gender inequalities are explained in terms of biology • Difference is understood as deviation from the normative mode of masculinity or femininity • Gender roles are vague • Incapable of theorising change in gender relations • The individual subject is entirely the product of social structure • Supports the status quoby ignoring power relations

5. Hegemonic masculinity • Dominant definitions of masculinity are embedded in social institutions such as the state, education, and the family • Male power is not simply held by individual men but is institutionalised in social structures and ideologies that support the gender order in favour of men • Hegemony is not the same as dominance; different definitions and practices of masculinity may supplant others as hegemonic Tough guise stats

6. Hegemonic masculinity • Allows for resistance on the part of men who are subordinated or marginalised by the hegemonic form • For example, men who desire men have a subordinate relationship to hegemonic models of masculinity in most societies, but in some places have exercised social power to resist their marginalisation and claim a legitimate social and political space • Is consistent with feminist analyses of patriarchy • Demands a focus on social expectations and community standards rather than personality or behaviour

7. “Traditional” masculinity “Traditional” (“Western”?) masculinity: • Strong (physically and mentally) • Rational • In control/self-control • Objective • Unemotional • Patriarchal

8. Role theory, the individual and masculine socialisation Men as problem: • Elevated negative health outcomes overall • Educational performance; workforce participation • Violence, accidents and risk-taking • Sexual difficulties • Suicide ideation and completion • Drug and alcohol use • Specific difficulties for Indigenous, social class, racial or minority ethnic populations

9. * Statistics presented in the film “Tough Guise”

10. Small group discussion • Discuss one of the following questions: • What challenges are facing young men in your community today? How might these be related to masculinity? • How are men in your community described by health and education officials, media commentators, and men themselves? • Are definitions of masculinity changing in response to wider changes in your community? (10 mins) • Feedback(5 mins)

11. How does the media reinforce patriarchal ideas promoting violence against women?

12. The media provides images of manhood that are defined by power, violence, and control. • Sports culture such as wrestling: the celebration of violence connects being a man with abusive acts. • Images of men dominating women in ads imply that women want to be forced to have sex, and that it is an accepted social norm for a male to be violent towards women.

14. Violent Masculinity: What does it mean for men? • From childhood on, males receive a constant message concerning their gender identity: Manhood is connected with power, control, and violence. Be a man

16. And violence? • If a real man must maintain an appearance of emotional invulnerability, he does not have society’s permission to express himself emotionally or receive help. • Many males use violence (against women as well as against other men) as a way to express their frustrations, while also living up to the “powerful male” expectation that society idealizes.

17. Invulnerability • With these ideals for manhood comes another expectation for males: the idea that a real man is not only strong physically (proved through violence), but emotionally as well.

22. The male privilege

23. Heteronormativity? • Homosociality: relations between heterosexual men regulated by fear of homosexuality • But are gay men and straight men so different? • Changes to men’s embodiment and sexual practices do not always challenge ‘traditional’ notions of heterosexual masculinity

25. Conclusion • Covered wide range of issues; issues not covered include: • Men and violence • Wars and civil unrest • Rape and other forms of sexual violence • The connection between sport and coercive sex • Men’s health • HIV/AIDS • Men, pornography and sexual obsession • Men’s sexual difficulties… many areas for further study