“Men do not know how to navigate being men”: constructions of the 21st century man, a qualitative exploration and future ‘imaginings'

Engagement in discourses which challenge problematic constructions of masculinity has been identified as essential to address gender-based violence and harassment and reducing adverse effects of individual endorsement of traditional masculinity ideals. Although educational settings have been positioned as crucial to this endeavour, to do this, a compassionate understanding of challenges to young men’s engagement (e.g., personal
shame or deficits in access to alternative constructions of masculinity) is required. A precursor to the development of a community co-created pilot intervention, this study aimed to provide non-personal stimuli for preliminary discussions in the co-creation process. Fortyone men aged 18-57 years (M=29.7) took part in an anonymous online qualitative survey, providing a rich dataset of personal accounts relating to social discourses of masculinity, and how men feel these relate to their own experiences of ‘being a man’ in the 21st century. Using
an experimental, blended approach to analysis within a performative paradigm, a reflexive thematic analysis was first applied to the data, sculpting an overarching theme (or motif) of individual and social tension in relation to what a man should be and how this is experienced by men in their everyday lives. Initially labelled ‘Being a man as perpetual confrontation and negotiation of (un)manliness’, this motif was used to inform the production of imaginative
discursive and extra-discursive representations of the stories within the data. Analytic process, findings and creative outcomes are discussed in relation to the suggested challenges to men’s identity development within the current landscape, and future ‘imaginings’ for this project.