Population Council Research that makes a difference

XXVI IUSSP International Population Conference
27 September–2 October 2009

Abstract

Mard (real man), Pati (husband), and Pita (father): A study of male workers, masculinities, and family in an Indian slum (Poster no. 153)
Suvakanta N. Swain and Niranjan Saggurti

The paper throws light on the process of male gender construction and how it influences male involvement in family in a patriarchal sociocultural setup where the male head has a great role in overall family welfare. Data have been collected through 38 in-depth interviews followed by a survey of 500 married male workers from a slum in Orissa. Findings indicate that "male sexual role" and "status within family" are perceived as the two most important components of masculinity. It is also believed that male dominancy in domains like "family," "sex role," "community," and "physical appearance" is expected from a real man. Further it is revealed that hegemonic masculinity is a barrier in social intimacy with other-gender family members. Low involvement in child-rearing and domestic activities, and high reporting of domestic violence is closely associated with the high degree value of hegemonic masculinity.

IUSSP 2009 conference Web site

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