In Ireland, men's health is becoming a priority. In line with global trends, indicators of poor mental health (including rates of depression and suicide) are increasing alongside rates of unemployment and social isolation. Despite the growing awareness of men's health as a national priority, and development of the first National Men's Health Policy in the world, there is still a concern about men's nonengagement with health services. Health and community services often struggle to appropriately accommodate men, and men commonly avoid health spaces. A growing body of literature suggests that a persistent lack of support or resources for service providers contributes to their inability to identify and meet men's unique health needs. This study aims to provide further insight into the ways in which this gap between men and health services can be closed. Semistructured, qualitative interviews were conducted with nine project partners (n = 9) of a successful men's health program in Dublin. Interviews captured reflections on what processes or strategies contribute to effective men's health programs. Findings suggest that gender-specific strategies-especially related to community-engagement and capacity building-are necessary in creating health programs that both promote men's health and enable men to safely and comfortably participate. Moreover, including men in all aspects of the planning stages helps ensure that programs are accessible and acceptable for men. These findings have been operationalized into a user-driven resource that illustrates evidence-informed strategies and guiding principles that can be used by practitioners hoping to engage with men.
Men often struggle to find or gain access to meaningful health services. Despite, or because of this trend, men are increasingly seeking out alternative sources of support for their wellbeing. Global health conversations and policies are calling for a greater awareness of men's heath issues, uptake of gender-sensitive strategies and integration of community and voluntary sectors. Men's Sheds, which are community and volunteer-run spaces for men, are increasing in popularity for men across Ireland. This study aimed to investigate men's experiences as members of Men's Sheds and the relationship between their involvement in the Shed and their wellbeing. Qualitative methods including: semi-structured interviews, focus groups and observations were used with men (n = 27) from five different Sheds across Ireland. Findings suggest that key features of Shed participation (i.e. using and developing new skills, feeling a sense of belonging, supporting and being supported by peers, and contributing to community) contribute to men's overall wellbeing as well as men's buy-in or support for Men's Sheds. Despite support for Men's Sheds, negotiating membership, funding and boundaries of peer support remain persistent challenges that threaten the sustainability of Shed space and membership. Future work that examines opportunities for meaningful collaboration between Sheds and surrounding community services could help provide more pathways for men to access support without compromising the integrity and intentionality of Sheds as peer-run spaces.
As a White cis female researcher, I am often asked about my capacity to conduct meaningful, credible, and safe research with men. Questions often center on my experiences in men's spaces, ability to understand or represent men's experiences, and safety protocols to mitigate against looming threats of male-perpetrated violence. I am curious about how my gender continues to be a point of contention in my role as a qualitative researcher. In this meta-analysis and commentary article, I explore my experiences in relation to other female researchers who study men and who have published articles reflecting on gender norms in research practice. With examples taken from the contexts of fieldwork, qualitative interviews, and presentation of findings, this article illustrates the nuanced and often invisible power and gender dynamics that inform how methodological decisions are made, what is found or synthesized from qualitative data, and how problematic social norms are reinforced. I argue that, within the context of research about men and masculinities, researchers must be responsible for reflecting on and confronting gender norms as a part of their intersectional experiences of privilege and oppression. Specifically, researchers can use reflexive practice and field journaling to better understand how gender norms and uneven power dynamics are introduced to, co-constructed within, and generated from qualitative studies. These reflections and concerted efforts to confront broader social injustices imbedded in research practices are necessary for researchers to produce sound data and promote reciprocal research benefits. Without such efforts, researchers may reinforce the same structures of power and stereotypical gender norms that they aim to disrupt in their scholarship.
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