The media has always been an institution inseparable from the rest of society – where they have been societies, there have been ways of discussing and representing information that is key to constituting those societies through media. Specifically, it has been argued that gender identities are informed by social representations in the media, but relatively little research has focused on male gender identities. The importance of understanding male gender identity in South Africa cannot be overstated as this identity shapes men’s interactions with women and other men. For example, beliefs around male dominance and aggression may lie behind woman abuse, homophobic behaviour, and the spread of HIV (Dunkle & Decker, 2012; Engh, 2011). For example, South African women suffering intimate partner violence or in gender-unequal relationships have a higher risk of HIV infection (Dunkle & Decker, 2012). In this context, a sample of 52 male undergraduate students from a large university in Johannesburg, South Africa, completed an open-ended survey after viewing video clips taken from popular media. The three clips showed men carrying out non-stereotypical male activities, such as ballet dancing, nursing, and striptease. The participants were asked to give their feelings about the clips, the importance of being male and about masculinity in general. A thematic content analysis of the data gathered illuminated the dominant social representations regarding masculinity in contemporary South Africa, which were primarily interpreted with reference to the theory of hegemonic masculinity and Moscovici’s social representations theory. Some themes which emerged were around heteronormativity, the high status of male identity, male defensiveness and the constant flux of masculine identity. The appearance of these themes shows the complex interplay of sexuality and gender, the diversity of masculinity, and the power that men continue to hold. This serves to illuminate the relationships between hegemonic and non-hegemonic masculinities in South Africa. Beyond its theoretical significance, this study may also inform gender-education campaigns. There are several university societies for which the results would be useful, such as the LGBQTIA society, Wits Activate. National social programmes that may be able to act on these results include the Brothers for Life campaign, which seeks to change masculine stereotypes. Changing attitudes such as male superiority and defensiveness may be key to the prevention of gender-based violence as well creating greater gender harmony in South Africa. Some hope is created by tolerant attitudes and resistance to hegemonic social representations this study, but the results presented are divergent.

This study explores the ways in which masculinity and sexuality is constructed among 18–24 year old young male university students and how these constructions intersect with their sexual practices. A plethora of literature about masculinity and sexuality reveals a normative masculinity where being a man is associated with risky practices. Through literature review it is also emphasised that although masculinity is rather stable, it is contested and subject to struggle and change. Hence there is a call for flexible descriptions of what it means to be a man. The study is situated in a social constructionist framework. Semi-structured interviews were audio-taped and transcribed. Themes are determined and analysed using discourse analysis. Participants’ reflections bring to the fore how idealised construction of masculinity is valued and the extent to which men conform in order to earn the status of manhood. Some discourses that emerged from participants contribute to the idealised construction of masculinity. The university context seems to provide a better space for the attainment of this idealised masculinity as opposed to the home (with parents/members of the family), which is perceived to be placing a strain or restriction on masculinity. The study further found that men are reluctant to use condoms, and label women who initiate condom use. This reluctance and labelling reinforce their urge to present themselves as invulnerable, virile, brave, initiators and thrill seeking. The study concludes that it is impossible to tackle the scourge of HIV/AIDS without looking into the construction of masculinity and sexuality among males. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2012.

This research project aimed at exploring how masculinity is constructed and performed amongst young men who are students at University of KwaZulu Natal. This study was part of a larger SANPAD funded research project on South African masculinities. Seven participants between the ages of 18 and 25 were recruited from this institution; four Black, two White and one Coloured. Participants were given a disposable camera and were instructed to take photographs under the caption: “What is it like to be a young man in South Africa today”. A focus group discussion was conducted with the participants to explore constructions of masculinities based on the photographs they had taken. Photographs were analysed using content analysis and the focus group interview was analysed using thematic analysis. For the purpose of analysis, the 36 photographs were placed into 5 categories which were people, manmade objects, natural objects, animals and people and manmade objects. Content analysis revealed that the most common themes for the photographs were of cars, smoking, sports, drinking and women. Analysis of the themes from the focus group discussion revealed that the participants in the study had a clear understanding of how young men need to perform masculinity. In this regard they gave the following examples; young men play sport, young men drink, young men smoke, young men need to seek and attain success and respect, young men engage in heterosexual relationships, young men take responsibility, young men fight when the need arises and young men take initiative. The young men in this study drew on many strategies in constructing their masculinity, but mostly the strategies of hegemonic masculinity including compulsory heterosexuality, physical strength, violence and being a breadwinner. Race was an important factor in the construction of masculinity, particularly in sexuality and sport. Masculinity, it seems, is complex and is affirmed by other men. Young men who appear to have achieved a successful masculine identity amongst their peers are those who are successful financially and within the arena of sports, those men who are independent, reliable, strong and successful in their sexual prowess. These examples of the performance of masculinity echo the concepts of various masculinities, especially hegemonic masculinity. The findings of this study were examined from the perspective of various theories of masculinity, particularly the work of Connell. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2013.

Men and masculinity studies is a significantly developed field of research in Western scholarship and has gained increased interest in Africa, particularly in South(ern) Africa. This study: “Godly Manhood”: Evangelical Constructions of Masculinities in A South African Context – A Case Study of the Mighty Men’s Conference (MMC) is one that seeks to make a contribution in this field of research from a religion (Christian theological) and gender perspective. The study investigates how faith discourses within the Mighty Men’s Conference (MMC) shape perceptions and constructions of masculinities within contemporary Protestant (mainly, Charismatic, Evangelical and Pentecostal Christianity) in post-apartheid South Africa. The study sought to analyse the extent to which Angus Buchan and the MMC’s call for men to return to ‘godly manhood’ either re-inscribe patriarchal conservatism or contribute towards gender-social transformation. In seeking to examine what it means to be ‘Mighty Men’ and “godly men,” the study illustrates how faith discourses within the MMC as a Charismatic, Evangelical and Pentecostal religious grouping inform representations of masculinities. As the study reveals, Charismatic Evangelical theology, beliefs, and gender traditions/ideologies presented by Buchan in his MMC informs perceptions of what is understood as an ‘ideal’ Christian man. These, as the study shows, influence constructions of masculinities achetyped in patterns of ‘godly manhood’ as a process of “recreating Christian masculinity.” The study applied drawing on intersectionality as a conceptual framework. The study showed how religion intersects with other socio-cultural, political and economic factors that necessitate changes as Christian men seek to make sense of their masculine self at the cross-roads of various socialisations. Such changes seem to contribute to representations of emerging masculinities within this context of study. The study adopted a qualitative, multi-methods research design and in addition to my personal observations from the conferences, semi-structured interviews were conducted with thirty four men who have been attending the MMC. Analysis of findings reveals that there are multiple representations and constructions of contradictory and conflicting representations of masculinities within divergent voices of what it means to be ‘Mighty Men’ and practice ‘godly manhood.’ Although certain core commonalities regarding the concept of ‘godly manhood’ emerged from the thirty four men interviewed across the three shades of conservative, Charismatic and Pentecostal Evangelicals, this study makes two important conclusions. First, it indicates that ascriptions to “godly manhood” inculcated by Buchan and the MMC not only portray patterns of traditional and conventional masculinities, but also remain a patriarchal motivation for restoring Christian male supremacy, control and domination. Second, the study illustrates that while Charismatic Evangelical men have a desire to change, their ascription to ‘godly manhood’ is characterized by struggle between traditional/conventional male practices and a need to embrace egalitarian views of gender relations. Such results indicate the extent to which contemporary Charismatic and Evangelical Christianity portray expressions of masculinities which are ambivalent. The study concludes questioning whether Jesus Christ can be a resource for transforming religiously constructed masculinities. The study proposes alternative Christological discourses as counter-models to traditional and patriarchal masculinities. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2014.

No abstract provided

This study explores high-performing male psychology students’ narratives of identity. The rationale for undertaking this study is that men presently represent a shrinking minority within the academic and professional practice of psychology in South Africa. While much quantitative research has noted gendered trends within the field, there remains a paucity of qualitative data on these men’s thoughts and experiences within the South African context. A narrative research design, underpinned by an interpretative phenomenological epistemology, was employed to explore this topic in a participant-led manner. The unique life stories of the six male participants, recruited from third-year, honours and masters psychology courses, were explored through an open-ended narrative interview that was later followed by a semi-structured interview. Both interviews were audio-recorded and the interview transcripts were subjected to a two stage inductive thematic analysis in which emergent themes were interrogated both for each participant and between participants. The first round of data analysis yielded thirty thematic codes according to which these participants’ narratives of identity could be interpreted and during the second stage of analysis these codes were clustered into six master themes which were mapped onto the secondary research questions informing this study. Thematic analysis revealed: (1) active efforts by the participants to defy hegemonic gender norms and (re)define masculinity through engagement in what is traditionally defined as “women’s work” in their adoption of a care-giver role by providing emotional support to others while also attempting to redefine psychology as a profession that is not exclusively feminine. (2) These participants reported selecting their career option on the basis of passion as opposed to pragmatics by valuing their desire to engage in this field over hegemonic concerns with prestige and earning-potential. However, such considerations were peripheral rather than absent in their narratives. (3) Consistent with previous findings, these men all reported experiencing life struggles as a route to developing empathy and therefore exhibited elements of the wounded-healer model. (4) Those men who are pursuing careers neuropsychology and industrial psychology showed an interest in humanity (scientists) fostered by feelings of difference while those in therapeutic orientations report developing a desire to help (helpers) based on experiences of marginalisation. While the participants differed as to whether they were more inclined towards the more traditionally masculine values of science or the more traditionally feminine values of care, they all reported a desire to both help and understand as professional psychologists. (5) While diversity and difference were reported by these men to contribute to an enhanced sense of empathy and social interest, they mentioned such a sense of difference having developed from the experience of early geographic movement and exposure to multiple cultures. This seems to have fostered a keen social awareness that contributed to a growing interest in the different lifestyles that people and communities enjoy which they now study and work with as aspiring psychologists. (6) Furthermore, their dynamic and changing world is suggested to have garnered a love of variety and iterative sense of self which has permitted continuing development in professional psychology as they report finding the personal growth and development endemic to the field to be an important part of how they understand themselves. Findings of the research which may broadly map directions for future research include a lack of conflation by these men of sexual orientation and masculinity suggesting that homosexuality is not necessarily understood as a contravention of masculine norms not suggested by previous research findings. Importantly, while feelings of difference were explored in this study, race was a shared silence during the interviews and further investigation into the experiences of black men aspiring to become male psychologists in the South African context is considered vital to enhancing our understanding of the diverse body of professionals in South African psychology.

A Research Report submitted in partial fulfilment of a Master of Arts in Industrial Sociology by coursework and Research Report. Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand. 15 March 2016 / The aim of this study is to understand the experiences of male nurses as they work in women-dominated workplace. The focus of other studies has been on: the ‘glass escalator’ and the hidden advantages for men in the so called ‘female’ professions; masculinity at work; the experiences of men in female dominated occupations and the experiences of men in caring professions. In South Africa, many studies on masculinity have been carried out that focus on the gender issues of southern Africa such as, causes and prevention of intimate partner violence; young men and the construction of masculinity, implications for HIV/AIDS, conflict, and violence; contemporary masculinities particularly the gendered cultural politics and hegemonic masculinities/masculinity in South African: culture, power and gender politics. But there is a dearth of literature on the issue of men in gender concentrated occupations, like nursing, in South Africa. This study seeks to fill the gap in understanding of how South African men experience their masculine gender identity in the context of engaging in work which is supposedly feminine by employing a qualitative, semi-structured interview approach of 15 male nurses of a hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa. This study argues that male nurses tend to portray hegemonic masculinity as their gender identity is simultaneously being configured, misconfigured and reconfigured in the workplace. / MT2017

A report on a research study presented to the Department of Social Work School of Human and Community Development, Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand in partial fulfilment of the requirement for a degree Master of Arts in Social Work, March 2017 / This research report explores how male Wits university students, who are actively involved in SASCO, a student organisation that advocates for amongst other things, none sexist society, perceive gender transformation and equality. The research approach utilised was qualitative and exploratory in nature with a broad aim of explaining the perceptions of the male students. Informal interaction and semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with ten male student activists and a key informant as methods of data collection. The data, in the form of interview transcripts was than analysed using the IPA approach. Although the participant’s perceptions of gender transformation and equality varied, it was evident, however, that all of the participants agreed that women have been previously and currently disadvantaged in society. The main findings that show the concepts of gender transformation and equality are much more digestible on paper and policies but difficult to implement. It becomes unreasonable to aspect individuals when they get into institutions of higher learning to now unlearn patriarchy and disown patriarchal privileges and benefits that they have enjoyed for most of the lives. The introduction of sustainable gender transformation and equality needs a complete overhaul of gendered societies and societal injustices. Gender injustices should be afforded the same attention that is given to economic inequalities, access to education and political instabilities. / XL2018

This thesis is submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Community-based Counselling Psychology in the Faculty of Humanities at the University of the Witwatersrand / This thesis took an interpretive approach to analysing content as presented in the print media. The focus of this study was Destiny Man magazine, a six year old lifestyle publication aimed at middle-class men in South Africa. This thesis explored how black middle-class men are presented by looking at the latent content from an interpretive stance. Therefore, a psychosocial approach was adopted to understand how political, socio-economic, and gender interact with one another at the psycho-social level. A total number of 35 articles were analysed using interpretative psychoanalytic methods and relevant critique. In addition to these 54 images were chosen to be analysed and included in an overall contextual framework relating to topics such as race, masculinity, economics, alcohol, and sport. This content was chosen from the eight 2014 issues of Destiny Man magazine. In analysis, the history of colonialism, apartheid, and the development of neoliberal capitalism was taken into account regarding how black middle class men negotiate their masculine identities in the new South Africa. The development of neoliberal capitalism and a multimodal discourse on the male psyche is explored in-depth, with the resultant social analysis. Overall, the basis of this research was to critically analyse African middle class masculinity in post-apartheid South Africa taken many factors into account. The key themes identified in the analysis include narcissism, domination, and denial of feminity, fatherhood, alcohol consumption, and performances of gender. The interactions of all of these factors have been shown to have an impact on our understanding of contemporary African middle class masculinity, affecting the construction and definition of this concept in a complex and dynamic way. Destiny Man magazine is a poignant example of how these interactions are presented in the media. / MT2017

The research was premised on the notion that gender is a social construct that is inextricably linked with masculinity and violence. This view of gender was used in an attempt to understand how masculinity and violence are constructed in the tabloid newspaper, the Daily Sun. The research used a discourse analysis, specifically looking at the various subject positions that are afforded to both men and women in this publication and how such positions foreclose other ways of thinking about and understanding gendered violence. The data set consisted of 23 information rich articles that were selected through the use of a purposeful sampling strategy. Results suggest while the Daily Sun positions itself as a medium that aims to ‘educate’ men (particularly working class men) against committing gendered violence, the Daily Sun may serve to reinforce the system of patriarchy that it claims to want to dismantle. In particular, the report highlights the problematic nature and implications of providing individual psychological explanations for gendered violence without acknowledging the contextual issues that are at play.