The article examines how fathers' attempts to establish intimate relationships with their young children (0-3 years) bring to light tensions between prevailing models of fatherhood and hegemonic masculinity. The result of these contradictory negotiations is a complex redefinition of what it means to be a father today, whereby aspects of both past experiences and new social expectations are accepted and rejected. The article approaches gender as a relational concept and so incorporates the perspective of mothers. By way of biographical-narrative research conducted with Italian new fathers and new mothers, the article shows that some aspects of cultural models of masculinity can obstruct the process of building intimate relationships with young children because such relationships need to be grounded in precisely those aspects that dominant forms of masculinity repress: emotions, affectivity and physical closeness. However, the visceral contradictions between gendered social norms, individual desires and men's discovery of the pleasures of care can entail the learning of a different embodiment, and so hold the potential for a transformation of intimacy in father-child relationships. The article reflects on whether new fathering practices can change the hierarchical relationships that mark the contemporary social construction of masculinity and femininity.
The emerging scientific literature examines masculinity and gender roles as risk factors for suicide ideation or suicide in young adults and adolescents. In this vein, recent studies show that certain traditional masculine norms are related to poorer mental health-related outcomes, which influences suicide and suicide ideation. This study contributes with new understandings about the associations between masculinity and suicidal ideation among males through Reddit debates in English. The posts with more interactions referring to masculinity in the topics gender and education have been selected on Reddit, emphasizing transformative personal experiences potentially helping avoid suicide ideation. Through the analysis of Reddit posts, it is shown how users can generate spaces to express the diverse ways to live with masculinity. The discussions on Reddit in the different areas selected demonstrate the existence of proposals on how to overcome fears and facilitate relaxation of norms regarding self-reliance to encourage help-seeking when feeling depressed and therefore at greater risk of suicide ideation. The results highlight the potential importance of platforms such as Reddit to create solidarity networks, showing multiple ways of being a man and demystifying dominant masculinity by sharing different experiences.
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