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Australia's National Men's Health Policy: Masculinity Matters
Author(s) -
Saunders Margo,
Peerson Anita
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
health promotion journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.515
H-Index - 32
eISSN - 2201-1617
pISSN - 1036-1073
DOI - 10.1071/he09092
Subject(s) - masculinity , hegemonic masculinity , health policy , population health , reproductive health , health promotion , hegemony , political science , gender studies , sociology , public health , medicine , environmental health , population , law , nursing , politics
Issue addressed The development of Australia's first national men's health policy provides an important opportunity for informed discussions of health and gender. It is therefore a concern that the stated policy appears to deliberately exclude hegemonic masculinity and other masculinities, despite evidence of their major influence on men's health‐related values, beliefs, perspectives, attitudes, motivations and behaviour. Methods We provide an evidence‐based critique of the proposed approach to a national men's health policy which raises important questions about whether the new policy can achieve its aims if it fails to acknowledge ‘masculinity’ as a key factor in Australian men's health. Conclusions The national men's health policy should be a means to encourage gender analysis in health. This will require recognition of the influence of hegemonic masculinity, and other masculinities, on men's health. Recognising the influence of ‘masculinity’ on men's health is not about ‘blaming’ men for ‘behaving badly’, but is crucial to the development of a robust, meaningful and comprehensive national men's health policy. So what? The new national men's health policy provides an opportunity to improve health outcomes for men and boys by advocating greater gender sensitivity in the areas of disease prevention and management, health education, health promotion and health services. Ensuring that this opportunity is fully realised will be difficult without acknowledging the values, beliefs and attitudes associated with men's gender identity, including those associated with hegemonic masculinity.