‘So, What is a Good Masculinity?’: Navigating Normativity in Violence Prevention with Men and Boys

Abstract

Engaging men and boys to address the links between masculinity and gendered violence is a rapidly expanding space for primary prevention, in Australia and globally. There are parallel debates within feminist commentary on violence prevention and in masculinity studies over how to conceptualise and deconstruct masculinity for the long-term transformation of gender inequality. This article analyses semi-structured interviews with Australian prevention practitioners whose work focuses on engaging men and boys, which included initiatives aimed at gender equality, healthy masculinity, preventing violence against women, and domestic/family violence prevention. Interviews highlighted that these practitioners are currently grappling with how to address masculinity as a construct and/or a normative process within their work to achieve gender transformative change. These tensions reflect ongoing concerns over reproducing narrow associations between men and masculinity that perpetuate essentialised identity categories. Importantly, I question whether a focus on ‘positive’ or ‘healthy’ masculinities can effectively go beyond the binary gender relations that underpin gendered violence. The research findings suggest a need for greater reflexive and creative thinking around how men and masculinity are (de)centred within violence prevention to better support gender transformation.

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