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Has files: YesSubject: search.filters.subject.440507 Studies of men and masculinities

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    “Why aren’t you crying more?” : young New Zealand men talk mental health in a shifting climate of masculinities : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Clinical Psychology at Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2025-11-02) Peacock, Matthew
    “Why Aren’t You Crying More?” invites an examination of the mental health attitudes and practices of young men in the context of New Zealand masculinities. There appears to be increasing recognition that traditional, hegemonic masculinities are implicated in men’s mental health practices and outcomes. This has facilitated a proliferation of public discourse about men’s mental health issues. Moreover, there appears to be increasing attenuation and nonconformity of traditional masculinities in certain contexts, particularly amongst young men. There has been limited exploration of the implications of attenuated and nonconforming masculinities for men’s mental health. Furthermore, there is little research that has examined the possibility of shifts in gendered mental health attitudes or practices, particularly in New Zealand. This research begins to address these gaps by exploring the experiences of young New Zealand men. This research asks, “how are young New Zealand men experiencing masculinity, and what are the implications for their mental health attitudes and practices?” In depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with thirteen young, everyday New Zealand men. The analysis employed social constructionism informed Reflexive Thematic Analysis. Findings depict a social context in which young New Zealand men’s mental health practices are still influenced by masculine norms of strength and toughness. Simultaneously, participants suggest these norms are softening, with reducing stigma and social punishment of nonconformity. Participants experience promotion of traditionally non masculine mental health practices, and observe normalisation of emotional expression, help-seeking practices, and vulnerability in men. They caveat that these movements are neither universal nor ubiquitous, as promotional efforts fail to simultaneously address the dynamic conditions that perpetuate men’s conformity to norms of strength and invulnerability. Within this context of conflicting gendered mental health messaging, this thesis finds that young men do not simply accept or reject prescribed norms. Instead, young men engage in dynamic processes of adaptation, resistance, and selective disclosure, depending on context, trust, and perceived risk. This thesis contributes to the existing research corpus by applying emerging contemporary masculinities work to the field of mental health. It calls for future interventions that are nuanced and empathetic, and offers considered insights for how to support New Zealand men’s wellbeing.
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    I will place the meat on the grill : how self-identified Asian men shape their identity in the context of traditional European masculinity within New Zealand society : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University, Manawatū, Aotearoa New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2021) Gambhir, Amrinder
    New Zealand as a nation has seen an influx of migrants from Asia in the last few decades although many Asians have been part of the New Zealand settlement project for several centuries. Ethnic minority status affords limited ability for Asian men to identify as masculine outside traditional European masculinity accepted in Aotearoa New Zealand society. Due to limited research within New Zealand on Asian masculinity, this research uses a qualitative approach to produce a nuanced understanding of Asian masculinity. Semi-structured interviews based on an ethnographic approach with self-identified Asian ethnicity men were conducted. Social Constructionism formed the epistemological basis of my study. The study aimed to investigate how men within the Asian minority community construct and negotiate their masculinity. All participants showed a strong inclination of masculinity being associated with responsibility and taking ownership. They discussed ‘taking charge’ and ‘accountability’ as something that men do. Support for social justice and helping others was considered masculine and often a moment of pride. Most participants related masculinity with physicality and the physical ability to compete and perform. Participants provided examples of understanding that they were different. Their understanding of uniqueness was from a cultural and racial perspective but also included their masculine identity in some instances. The stories of some participants highlighted experiences of exclusion against Asians within New Zealand society. The participants acknowledged a varying degree of agency as individual actors within their discourse. Some participants suggested that the bicultural understanding of the nation left marginal room for inclusion of the Asian masculine identity into the idea of a “Kiwi”. Other participants, however, did not believe that their “unique” position in society was exclusionary and they proudly associated their uniqueness with their identity. Stereotypes against Asians were prevalent and media influence was often limited or negative towards Asian men. All participants emerged with a very nuanced understanding of their position in society and showed intentions of being role models for others. Several participants were supportive of the idea that “othering” is reducing at a rapid pace within Aotearoa New Zealand society. This research presents the experiences of Asian men to assist with this change.
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    The 'perfect' gay man : an exploration of perfectionism with gay men in New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Clinical Psychology at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2021) Steadman, Jessica
    This study explores the experiences of gay men in New Zealand who self-identify as perfectionists. The research had three aims: to explore how perfectionism is experienced throughout participants’ day-to-day lives, to understand how participants perceived their perfectionism to develop and change over time, and to investigate the self-perceived effects of perfectionism on participants’ relationships. Recruitment of participants was conducted with the support and assistance of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer plus (LGBTQ+) organisations using the snowballing method. Six individuals who identified as male, gay and perfectionistic participated in semi-structured interviews. The data was analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis, with participants’ voices located centrally throughout the research. Participants’ accounts were integrated to form three overarching themes: Contributions to Perfectionism, Living with Perfectionism and Journey towards (Im)perfection. It was found that most participants viewed their sexual orientation as contributing to the development of perfectionism, as they sought to compensate for not fulfilling heteronormative standards. Further, participants reported that their perfectionism changed over their lifetime, shifting from being central to their identity to simply being a part of who they are. Participants also reiterated sub-themes related to both positive and negative effects of perfectionism, as well as increased acceptance of their perfectionism over time that mirrored their self-acceptance. These findings challenge current understandings of perfectionism through the inclusion of wider societal and cultural impositions in the development of perfectionism. Further, the way in which participants reported that perfectionism has shifted for them over their lifetimes provides a unique understanding of perfectionism as being potentially changeable in nature.
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    Beyond prevention : lived experiences of pre-exposure prophylaxis in Aotearoa New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2021) Kolodziej, Jacek
    The prevailing research perspectives surrounding the use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among men who have sex with men (MSM) revolve around public health aspects, offering less insights into the lived experiences of those who use it. This project aimed to expand this perspective and examine the experiences of PrEP users in Aotearoa New Zealand by contextualising them in the local social and cultural backgrounds. Ten individuals (nine men and one non-binary person) who identified as gay were interviewed individually, each on two separate occasions. A method of interviewing that followed the interpretive Gadamerian hermeneutical approach was used to elicit the deeper meanings of PrEP for its users. The theoretical lens of analysis included Bourdieu’s habitus theory and informed understanding of PrEP use and sexual behaviours as social practices. During the interviews, participants shared how their connection with the gay community gave them an informed and empowered status as they actively sought PrEP access. Participants pointed to pervasive heteronormativity in healthcare as a source of difficulties, and they reflected on their methods to challenge it. Many participants demonstrated resilience and were active advocates for themselves and their communities. PrEP was not only seen as one of the methods of HIV prevention, but primarily as an agent of personal and sexual liberation. PrEP also served as an enabler of what was seen as safe condomless sex as a carrier of new or recovered symbolic meanings signifying intimacy, connection, and ecstasy, as contrasted with fear and contagion. Condomless sex constituted an important part of the gay habitus that entailed subversive notions of social resistance contradicting the homonormative ideas of mainstream social acceptability. The use of PrEP enabled interrogation of moralised HIV prevention discourses, where condom use served as proxy for homonormative judgments. Differences were noted in ways participants were reconstructing the notions surrounding sexual liberation depending on their generational experiences of HIV/AIDS history. The new methods of HIV prevention may enable transformation of established discourses that can now allow agentic practices and offer safe ways of embodying desire. The changing notions of sexual risk and safety in previously forbidden practices need to be considered when analysing the impacts of HIV prevention methods and designing public health interventions.
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    But what about the men? : storying rural men's experiences and perspectives of the 2016 Kaikōura/Waiau Earthquake, Aotearoa New Zealand : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Emergency Management at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2020) Rushton, Ashleigh
    Aotearoa, New Zealand is prone to environmental hazard events, and has experienced numerous significant disasters. While science research has focused on seismic and climate related risks, further research is needed to explore how social constructions of gender shape responses to, and coping strategies in the aftermath of disasters in New Zealand. Gender analyses of disasters also facilitate understanding the ways in which individuals and communities are adversely affected by natural hazard events. This thesis explores 19 rural men’s perspectives and experiences of the 2016 Kaikōura/Waiau earthquake, and critically examines their daily realities in the wake of the disaster. One research participant was Māori, and another was a British migrant, the other seventeen participants were Pākehā [European descent]. The qualitative research was underpinned by a feminist epistemology framed by social constructionism and an interpretivist approach to research. Feminist methodology informed data collection. Semi-structured interviewing was used to gather men’s earthquake stories and identify the subtleties and gendered elements of men’s experiences. Thematic analysis was employed to ascertain key elements embedded within, and across men’s earthquake narratives. Substantive themes identified included: sense of place, emotions, space-time and mobility. Sets of understandings about Antipodean, hegemonic masculinities, coupled with a bricolage of social theories, including the work of Moira Gatens, Pierre Bourdieu, Karen Davies and Doreen Massey provided the analytical framework for the thesis. Theoretical understandings of geographical space in the context of disaster are extended through incorporating Bourdieusian fields and metaphysical forms. An argument is advanced that metaphysical space(s), constituted through memories of, and feelings about the earthquake contribute to shaping participants’ disaster responses and recovery trajectories. The research chapters presented in this thesis explore the ways men’s ontological stories of the Kaikōura/Waiau earthquake were constructed in relation to emotion, sense of place and embedded in multiple mobile temporalities and metaphysical spaces. This doctoral research identifies that rural men’s realities in the aftermath of the Kaikōura/Waiau earthquake were fundamentally shaped by place, spaces and temporalities. Furthermore, place-specific hegemonic masculinity informed men’s behaviours and practices in response and recovery. Participants drew on meanings of, and attachment to place to navigate and cope with adversity and distress. Emotions related to the earthquake were evident throughout the interviews, inferring continuing trauma and anxieties. Nevertheless, men attempted to sustain representations of Antipodean, hegemonic masculinity by actively silencing distress and challenges. The study demonstrates that the research participants’ earthquake experiences were underpinned by multiple, intersecting metaphysical spaces and temporalities that in some cases, complicated and disrupted recovery. The research contributes to an understanding of complexities in relation to men’s personal experiences of disasters. Suggestions are provided for the inclusion of how localised sets of understandings about masculinities shape response and recovery in national and international disaster policies and practices.
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    Between want and should : masculinities and neoliberal subjectivity in men enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts : a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Social Anthropology, Massey University, Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2020) Dickie, Cameron
    This thesis examines constructions of masculinity in the context of a neoliberal university. It draws primarily from the theory of hegemonic masculinity, a theory of masculinity that posits that gender is organised hierarchically with a narrow ‘ideal’ and dominant construction of masculinity in the premier position of power over women, femininity, and other marginalised expressions of masculinity (Connell, 2005). In the Aotearoa New Zealand context, strength, stoicism, heterosexuality, and practicality describe the hegemonic form of masculinity, despite greater fluidity of gender expression in recent years. Concurrently with hegemonic masculinity, dominant ideals of neoliberalism stress personal control, management, and responsibility via a highly individualised understanding of (economic) success. In higher education, deeply financialised discourses shape how institutions offer their qualifications and how students engage with and utilise their education. Narratives around employability and personal returns are dominant as students must emphasise how their education will allow them to best exploit the job market for their personal benefit. Together, the discourses of dominant masculinities and neoliberal higher education profoundly shape the way men navigate university. I carried out semi-structured interviews with six men enrolled in Bachelor of Arts degrees at Massey University in Albany, Aotearoa New Zealand. The interviews were analysed discursively to elucidate the way men construct ideas about their educational choices in line with ideals of masculinity and neoliberalism. The most dominant emergent themes were: conceptualising arts degrees as ‘risks’; the role of interpersonal care; and the containment of men within normative ideas about what they should be doing at university. Together, masculine and neoliberal ideals reveal a profound tension within the lives of participants. They are caught between the expectations of traditional values of masculinity and profit-focussed neoliberal self-management which compel them to make educational choices that satisfy the expectations of both. This results in participants implicitly and explicitly positioning themselves within the ideals of both systems, despite also knowing that their education is outside of the norms of said systems. They use economic and gendered discourses to justify their choices to pursue arts degrees, which redeems and repositions their degrees within normative expectations for education. Despite the challenges of being placed between these ideals, participants show that there are ways to successfully balance the demands of both through conscious efforts to connect masculinity and neoliberal outlooks to their current education and planned futures. The construction of hegemonic masculinity pressures men into behaviours and values related to stable and productive employment futures for the purpose of being able to provide for dependents. This aids in the continuation of the current gender order by guiding men into choosing careers which allow them to gain access to a provider position. To make an employment or education decision that does not readily connect to future stability as a provider is perceived as inherently risky and imperils one’s ability to appear normatively masculine. Although participants view themselves as atypical for their choice of education, contemporary discourses around masculinities provide a flexible and adaptive resource for participants to nonetheless firmly position themselves in ways that highlighted their masculinity. Participants can manage the riskiness their chosen careers present to their gender identity by stressing outcomes from their education that allow them to achieve masculine ideals, for example, favouring a clinical counselling path through psychology due to the expected financial returns. To this end, neoliberal economic discourses around profitability play an important role in the ability for men to justify their study decisions. Actively assessing the ability of their chosen paths to result in financial success enabled participants to circumvent a risk to personal profitability related to arts degrees’ unclear connection to marketable skills. Financialised framing provided by neoliberal values allowed participants to elucidate the educational path most likely to grant good returns and connect these returns to the expected future stability of employment traditionally valued by masculinity. In this way, the areas of crossover between masculinity and neoliberalism provided the most effective justification for their choices to study arts degrees and allowed them to connect their personal desires for ameliorative social action to existing norms around what men should expect from work. For participants, arts degrees carry gendered and economic connotations that needed to be acknowledged and managed in order to highlight the personal possibility for success and maintain connections to norms of masculinity. Participants’ future careers necessitate engagement with interpersonal and emotional labour via care work. As care work has feminine connotations, and femininity is expected to be avoided by men, there was a need to ‘masculinise’ their expected labour to create a distance from appearing feminine. To do this, participants stressed longer term successes and achieving positions of authority to ‘fix’ society, as well as financial returns, to place the care work they would perform within normatively masculine expectations of future successes. This processes of redrawing boundaries around labour and emphasising specific outcomes to stress normative successes illustrates the remarkable flexibility drawn from masculine and neoliberal values for men to position themselves as part of a continuation of the existing gender order. Identifying and redrawing the boundaries of acceptable behaviour for men was an important strategy for participants rationalising their decisions to study an arts degree. Participants were perceptive of the social constructions of arts degrees as ‘frivolous’ or relatively disconnected from contemporary conceptualisations of success. However, they could actively access neoliberal and masculine discourses to assert how their decisions reflected a carefully chosen path with ‘realistic’ achievements. The difference between ‘realistic’ and ‘unrealistic’ employment outcomes from an arts degree were deeply influenced by the ability for participants to construct their education within normative boundaries for financial stability. This meant that participants ideal outcomes from their education were always placed within employment and employability frames that fit within the boundaries of neoliberal and normatively masculine career aspirations. The findings of this research demonstrate that dominant ideas about masculinity and how one should compete in the labour market simultaneously dictate what men should do and expect at university. Men’s goals in university are contained within gendered and economic realities which make educational options that conform to those realities more attractive to pursue than those options that do not. As a result, this thesis speaks to the way men and masculinities change due to contextual pressures, and how these changes can occur without destabilising the overall normative structure of gender and a neoliberal sense of self.
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    Moving beyond 'a hierarchy of pecs and penises' : how gay and queer men contest, resist, negotiate, and perform masculinity : 219855 research report presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements to the degree of Master of Communication at Massey University, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2020) Kaulback, Martin
    This narrative inquiry examines the identities and lives of nine gay and queer men living in Wellington, New Zealand as narrated and performed in hour-long semi-structured interviews. Viewing identities as social constructions that are generated through people’s interactions within specific physical and temporal contexts, this research project examines the performative construction of gay and queer masculinity, and the effects of gender and sexuality in the participants’ lives. Through the perspective of a queer male researcher, this project locates gay and queer men within their wider struggles with heteronormativity, and gives voice and privilege to their minority identities and experiences. Narrative analysis of the participants’ stories focuses on how gay and queer individuals navigate their lives as non-normative men who are Othered by traditional, hegemonic and hierarchical masculinity. Viewing identities as unstable and requiring of endless (re)negotiation and (re)performance, this research also examines the complex hierarchical construction of hegemonic homomasculinity by some straight-acting gay men who bolster their own gender performances by Othering femme-presenting individuals. It explores how heteronormative gender constructs and hypermasculine, hypersexual stereotypes affect the lives of the participants, identifying poor self-image, feelings of shameful and inadequate masculinity, and the need for secrecy about their sexuality as key drivers in homomasculine identity development. Additionally, media, pornography and violence are examined as significant in the generation and delayed performance of homomasculine identities. Finally, this research also analyses how some takatāpui and queer-identifying participants negotiate Self with high agency, and perform their identities free of the homohierarchy of traditional, hegemonic gender constructs. By integrating aspects of their gendered, sexual Selves within their identities, queer and takatāpui participants make clear the means by which people with non-normative homomasculine identities may be empowered, liberated and validated as people like all others.