Exploring ‘toxic masculinity’ discourses and the conditions it creates for men’s health and wellbeing in Australia

Abstract

The cultural representation of masculinity in Western society tends to be narrowly associated with stoicism, being unemotional, and non-help-seeking. In more extreme cases, masculinity is easily associated with aggression and dominance, particularly over women or other forms of perceived weakness. Not surprisingly, such behaviour has brought into existence all kinds of ‘descriptors’, one of which is “toxic” masculinity. However, the sometimes indiscriminate use of the phrase ‘toxic masculinity’ should signal a need for caution. Circumspection is warranted as such indiscriminate use can lead to the term being over-emphasised within the cultural, political, and social landscapes to describe an extensive range of male-oriented behaviours and attitudes without due consideration of the term’s congruence with behaviours and approaches. Therefore, this thesis discusses how the imprecise term ‘toxic masculinity’ is loosely and liberally used, emphasised, and then embedded in popular discourse. The research explores how the term shapes the conditions for men’s and boys’ health and wellbeing outcomes in Australia. There is a paucity of literature to date that has focused on the way the liberal use of the term toxic masculinity shapes men’s experiences with the health domain.
The research adopted a qualitative methodology that utilised unobtrusive methods to gather grey literature to review. To conduct a scoping review of Australian policy documents on men’s health and wellbeing. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse information within the policy documents. The results were interpreted through the social constructionism lens. The findings revealed predominant social constructions of toxic masculinity underscore how men's health is shaped and are impactful factors contributing to men's health, wellbeing and help-seeking behaviours. Institutions uphold the status quo through health promotion and policy, contributing to limited efforts of gender-responsive policymaking, which undermines the opportunities for men to access health support services, thereby potentially impacting men’s health and wellbeing. Correspondingly, the media plays a significant role in sustaining toxic masculine discourse through stereotyping and reinforcing a negative, dominant, and often unhelpful construct of the way men are perceived in society. Traditional outdated masculine roles limit self-expression and maintain inequality and discrimination based on undesirable gender norms, as well as contribute to the marginalisation of individuals who diverge from standardised gender norms. The research findings suggest a need for scholars in similar health, science, and medical fields to redefine masculinity, promote a healthier expression of gender identity and create gender equality.

Date of Award	2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Western Sydney University
Supervisor	Katina Dimoulias (Supervisor) & Tony Rossi (Supervisor)