En väletablerad och stark maskulinitetsnorm riskerar att män åsidosätter sina hälsobehov för att undvika stigmatisering. Forskning påvisar att stigma kring mäns känslomässiga problem existerar i samtliga kontexter denna studie berör, men inte i vilken utsträckning. Stigmatiseringen påvisas i alla åldrar, men tidigare forskning är oense om hur sambandet mellan upplevt stigma och ålder ser ut. Denna studie undersökte genom en enkätundersökning hur 135 män i åldrarna 18-72 år upplever stigma i kontexterna; vården, vänskapsrelationer och familjen. Resultatet visade att män upplevde mest stigmatisering inför att söka stöd hos vården för sina känslomässiga problem och minst hos familjen. Gällande samband mellan ålder och stigma framgick ett svagt positivt samband. För framtida forskning vore det intressant att undersöka vad det specifikt är i de olika kontexterna som framkallar eller motverkar upplevd stigmatisering. Det är viktig kunskap för att skapa fler trygga kontexter för män att öppna upp sig om sina känslomässiga problem.

The aim of this study was to examine how authors on Instagram describe masculinity norms. We aimed to further analyse how the authors illustrate the consequences of masculinity norms in relation to social problems. The study is based on 25 posts from authors on Instagram which were analysed by a content analysis method. The theoretical framework in this study consists of Connells (1995, 2008) theory of masculinity. A conception of socialization is also included (Connell 1995, 2009). The results indicated that masculinity norms have a negative impact on men by how they are expected to be, what they are expected to feel, what is allowed for them to talk about, how they should act and what sexual desires they should have. Furthermore, the study showed how masculinity norms lead up to social problems such as reluctance to seek help and using violence against others. The main conclusion of this study was that social problems often are based on the fact that men, due to present masculinity norms, are in need of proving, defending or maintaining their masculinities in different contexts. The man himself along with everyone around him are the one who pays for the consequences of masculinity norms. / Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur författare på Instagram beskriver maskulinitetsnormer. Syftet var även att undersöka hur författare belyser konsekvenser av maskulinitetsnormer i relation till sociala problem. Studiens empiri byggdes på 25 inlägg från medlemmar på Instagram som analyserades med hjälp av en innehållsanalys. Studiens teoretiska referensram utgjordes av Connells (1995, 2008, 2009) maskulinitetsteori. Referensramen utgjordes även av begreppet socialisation (Connell 1995, 2009). Resultatet visade att maskulinitetsnormer har en negativ inverkan på hur män förväntas vara och vad de förväntas känna, vad som är tillåtet att tala om, hur de ska bete sig och vilka sexuella begär de ska ha. Studiens resultat visade även att maskulinitetsnormer leder till sociala problem såsom en motvilja att söka hjälp och ett våldsutövande gentemot andra. Studiens huvudsakliga slutsats blev att sociala problem många gånger grundar sig i att män på grund av rådande maskulinitetsnormer, i olika sammanhang behöver bevisa, försvara eller upprätthålla sina maskuliniteter. De som får betala priset för negativa konsekvenser av maskulinitetsnormer är mannen själv likt alla andra han har runt omkring.

This study aims to investigate how young men experience the norms of masculinity in societywith a special focus on mental illness. Previous research in the field clarifies that there aremasculinity norms in society that men are expected to relate to. Consequences that can occurfrom masculinity norms are a stigmatization of men's mental illness, which can lead to menrefraining from seeking care. Research also shows that men who do not seek care for theirmental illness can develop self-harming behavior. This is a qualitative study with a resultbased on six semi-structured interviews with young men aged 18 to 25. The empiricalmaterial from the qualitative interviews has been analyzed on the basis of a theoreticalframework containing social constructivist perspectives on masculinity, hegemonicmasculinity and homosociality. The results show that young men experience that masculinitynorms affect the jargon between men and that the norms also affect how young men perceivethe difference between what is manly and unmanly. Young men also experience that there areexpectations regarding how they should behave.The results of the study also show that youngmen experience that men and women feel equally bad, but due to the stigma that men have todeal with, they refrain from seeking care for their mental illness. Finally, when men feel thatthey do not live up to the norms of masculinity, it leads to a feeling of exclusion. When theyinstead try to live up to the norms, they become someone they do not identify as. / Denna studie syftar till att undersöka hur unga män resonerar om rådandemaskulinitetsnormer i samhället med särskild fokus på psykisk ohälsa. Tidigare forskninginom ämnesområdet tydliggör att det existerar maskulinitetsnormer i samhället som mänförväntas förhålla sig till. Konsekvenser som kan förekomma av maskulinitetsnormer är enstigmatisering av mäns psykisk ohälsa, vilket kan leda till att män avstår från att söka vård.Forskning synliggör även att män som inte söker vård för sin psykiska ohälsa kan utveckla ettsjälvskadebeteende. Detta är en kvalitativ studie med ett resultat som är baserat på sexstycken semistrukturerade intervjuer med unga män i åldrarna 18 till 25. Det empiriskamaterialet från de kvalitativa intervjuerna har analyserats utifrån ett teoretiskt ramverkbestående av socialkonstruktivistiska perspektiv på maskulinitet, hegemoniska maskulinitetsamt homosocialitet. Resultatet visar att unga män upplever att maskulinitetsnormer påverkarjargongen män emellan och att normerna även påverkar hur unga män uppfattar skillnadenmellan vad som är manligt och “omanligt”. Unga män upplever även att det förekommerförväntningar gällande hur de ska bete sig. Studiens resultat synliggör även att unga mänupplever att män och kvinnor mår lika dåligt men på grund av den stigmatisering som mänfår bemöta, avstår de från att söka vård för sin psykiska ohälsa. Avslutningsvis när mänkänner att de inte lever upp till maskulinitetsnormerna leder det till en känsla av utanförskap.När de istället försöker leva upp till normerna, blir de någon som de själva inte identifierarsig som.

Whilst several studies acknowledge the role of gender norms and structures in environmental research, little attention is paid to the explicit influence of men and masculinities in pro-environmental behavior. Additionally, research concerning this man-environment nexus is almost nonexistent in the context of the Global South. This thesis aims to address this research gap by analyzing the influence of hegemonic masculinity norms on the attitudes of male university students in Rabat, Morocco to engage in pro-environmental behavior. The research is conducted by qualitative semi-structured focus group interviews with 15 male university students in Rabat during May and June 2023, with a theoretical framework drawing upon Martin Hultman and Paul M. Pulé’s theoretical efforts of Ecological Masculinities. The findings suggest that the contextual hegemonic masculinity norms socialize the respondents into internalizing a myopic approach to engaging in pro-environmental behavior; materializing into either anti-environmental attitudes or, more prominently, techno-scientific solutionist attitudes. Relatedly, the respondents dismiss engaging in the individual pro-environmental behaviors considered feminine in order to avoid judgements, social exclusion and demasculinization. The thesis concludes by delineating the importance of including men and multiple masculinities in environmental research, especially as men can be considered the gatekeepers to transformative climate change adaptation and mitigation.

Studien syftade till att utforska vad skolkuratorer upplever som verkningsfullt för att öka högstadiepojkars benägenhet att söka kontakt med dem. Genom en kvalitativ metod genomfördes fem semistrukturerade intervjuer med skolkuratorer, med fokus på att identifiera hinder och verkningsfulla strategier. Resultaten visade att maskulina normer och stigma betydligt hindrar pojkar från att söka stöd. Däremot ansågs synlighet, tillgänglighet och det förebyggande arbetet hos skolkuratorer vara avgörande för att minska dessa hinder. Kuratorerna betonade vikten av att bygga relationer och vara synliga i gemensamma utrymmen för att skapa förtroende och minska stigmat. Studien drog slutsatsen att en omdefiniering av maskulina normer och förbättrad tillgänglighet hos kuratorer vara avgörande för att uppmuntra pojkar att söka stöd, vilket främjar en mer inkluderande och stöttande skolmiljö. Med stigmateorin och relationsbaserat socialt arbete som teoretiska ramverk framhävdes vikten av att förstå och bemöta de sociala och relationella dimensionerna av högstadiepojkars stödbehov. / The study aimed to explore what school counselors perceive as effective in increasing middle school boys' tendency to seek contact with them. Using a qualitative method, five semi structured interviews were conducted with school counselors, focusing on identifying barriers and effective strategies. The results showed that masculine norms and stigma significantly hinder boys from seeking support. However, visibility, accessibility, and preventive work by school counselors were deemed crucial in reducing these barriers. The counselors emphasized the importance of building relationships and being visible in common areas to create trust and reduce stigma. The study concluded that redefining masculine norms and improving counselors' accessibility are crucial to encouraging boys to seek support, promoting a more inclusive and supportive school environment. With stigma theory and relationship-based social work as theoretical frameworks, the study highlighted the importance of understanding and addressing the social and relational dimensions of middle school boys' support needs.

The aim of the study was to see how work groups in the Correctional Service perceived and expressed masculinity norms and how the work group experienced that the phenomenon affected their meetings with clients. To meet the aim two qualitative group interviews were conducted with two and three people respectively in each group. The participants belonged to working groups within the Correctional System Service from two different regions. The results were analysed through theories of hegemonic masculinity and queer theory. The study showed a perception that masculinity norms did affect the client work because of how the client’s expressed masculinity but that the work group lacked expressions of masculinity norms. In the discussion the results are being discussed through previous research and theory. / Syftet med studien var att undersöka hur personal inom Kriminalvårdens frivård uppfattade maskulinitetsnormer i arbetsgruppen samt hur arbetsgrupperna upplevde att fenomenet påverkade klientarbetet. För att besvara syftet genomfördes två kvalitativa gruppintervjuer med två respektive tre informanter i varje grupp. Informanterna tillhörde arbetsgrupper inom Kriminalvårdens frivårdkontor från två olika regioner. Resultatet analyserades genom teori kring hegemonisk maskulinitet samt queerteori. Studien visade en uppfattning om att maskulinitetsnormer kunde påverka klientarbetet beroende på hur klienter uttryckte maskulinitet, men att arbetsgruppen ansåg sig själva sakna uttryck och påverkan av maskulinitetsnormer i klientarbetet. I diskussionen diskuteras förklaringsmodeller till resultatet utifrån tidigare forskning och teori.

This essay aims to investigate the meaning of masculinity norms within the forestry sector in Sweden, and how these norms affect the gender equality within the industry. A qualitative research method was applied to highlight and investigate the research aim and questions. Six semi-structured interviews were conducted and furthermore analyzed with a discursive analysis method and a gender theoretical perspective. This study is a continuation of and has its starting point, where the project Jämställdhet i skogsbranschen, implemented by Länsstyrelsen in Västernorrland and other actors, left off. The fourth aim of that project became an object of focus for us and this essay as a whole. The results of this study implied that there are several masculinity norms within the Swedish forestry sector and that the norms influence both men and women. A hegemonic masculinity within the industry became apparent that affected women as well as men. Finally, the gender equality work within the sector could be affected by masculinity norms, that could be considered to prohibit existing and ongoing gender equality work.

Most studies that deal with intimate partner violence (IPV) focus on men as the assailant and women as the victim. This study however explored how personnel within nonprofit men's shelters and crisis centers for men, work with male victims of IPV and what resources the personnel have to help these men. The central purpose was to get a broader understanding of IPV in Sweden by focusing on men's susceptibility, how it affects them and how well professionals and laymen within this field can work with male victims of IPV. The authors found that these businesses work with complex issues surrounding these men in borth different and equal ways.  The study was conducted using semi-structured qualitative interviews, and the number of interviewees was 9 people that currently work within the aforementioned men's shelters or crisis centers for men. From these interviews, the authors used content analysis to process and analyze the data. The interviewees mentioned that shame and stigmatization is highly prevalent in IPV affected men in heterosexual relationships regarding aspects of gender norms and masculinity, to the extent that it functions as a large barrier for many men in seeking help for their exposure to violence. This barrier is so large for these men that they more commonly deny their exposure to violence altogether or they become convinced that they are actually the perpetrators and not the victims.

Many studies on intimate partner violence often focus on men as perpetrators and women as victims, but this study shifts the focus to men's experiences of being victims of violence. Using the theories of stigma, masculinity, and script theory, the authors aimed to address the study's purpose, which was to investigate how men articulate their experiences of violence in close relationships. Additionally, the study explored the strategies employed by professionals working with abused men to effectively counteract the stigma associated with the challenges posed by ideals of masculinity. A qualitative approach was employed, involving the analysis of self-narratives from podcasts where abused men shared their experiences. Simultaneously, two interviews were conducted with welfare professionals specializing in assisting abused men, combining primary and secondary data. The authors concluded that the issue described by both men and welfare professionals is highly complex. Stigmatization and societal norms of masculinity present significant obstacles to men being open about their experiences of being victims of violence and seeking help. By fostering awareness of these norms among professionals and adapting support strategies accordingly, conditions are created for abused men to feel validated during the help-seeking and treatment processes.

This study uses qualitative research consisting of six semi-structural interviews of treatment workers who, in various capacities, have worked with men who use violence against their female partners. The purpose has been to show what the treatment counselor understand to be the reasons behind the men’s violence, what kind of backgrounds and problems they believe these abusers have and, lastly, how they view the male abusers as clients. The empirical data was analyzed through four perspectives and explanatory models derived from the past thirty years of Scandinavian research on the reasons behind men’s violence against women. Connell’s theory of masculinity was used as a filter along with the four theoretical perspectives when interpreting the data. The study revealed that the respondents found no consistent group of men who abuse. The respondents brought up reasons such as possible earlier exposure to violence, fear of abandonment, jealousy, feelings of powerlessness, and failed expectations of gender roles to be some consistent causes behind the violence. In general, according to the treatment workers, the male abusers they encounter tend to struggle with their self-image and how they fulfill perceived male ideals.