Constructions of masculinity and their influence on men's well-being: a theory of gender and health
Section snippets
Constructionism and theories of gender
Previous explanations of masculinity and men's health have focused primarily on the hazardous influences of “the male sex role” (Goldberg, 1976, Nathanson, 1977, Harrison, 1978, Verbrugge, 1985, Harrison et al., 1992). These explanations relied on theories of gender socialisation that have since been widely criticised (Deaux, 1984, Gerson and Peiss, 1985, Kimmel, 1986, Pleck, 1987, West and Zimmerman, 1987, Epstein, 1988, Messerschmidt, 1993, Connell, 1995). The sex role theory of
Theorising masculinity in the context of health
As Messerschmidt (1993, p. 62) notes in regard to the study of gender and crime, a comprehensive feminist theory of health must similarly include men “not by treating men as the normal subjects, but by articulating the gendered content of men's behaviour”. The following sections provide a relational analysis of men's gendered health behaviour based on constructionist and feminist theories, and examine how cultural dictates, everyday interactions and social and institutional structures help to
Conclusion
Research consistently demonstrates that women in the United States adopt healthier beliefs and personal health practices than men. A wealth of scientific data suggests that this distinction accounts in no small part for the fact that women suffer less severe chronic conditions and live nearly 7 yr longer than men. From a social constructionist perspective, this distinction can be understood as being among the many differences that women and men are expected to demonstrate.
If men want to
Acknowledgements
The author thanks the referees and James Messerschmidt for their critical review of earlier versions of the manuscript. He is especially grateful to Dr. Don Sabo and Dr. Susan Sands for their constructive comments and their continual encouragement.
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