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Masculinities and Health Inequalities Within Neoliberal Economies

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Masculinity, Labour, and Neoliberalism

Part of the book series: Global Masculinities ((GLMAS))

Abstract

Shifting employment patterns in the Western world, particularly the move from manufacturing to service industries, has had a negative impact on male employment, especially for working-class men. Many men, particularly from poor socioeconomic backgrounds, are said to lack the interpersonal skills required for service industries and the concomitant emotional labour this entails. Such shifts, changes and related challenges are known to impact the health of individuals and populations. In particular, the embedding of work as fundamental to a positive male identity can lead to mental and physical health issues for men during times of economic change and uncertainty. This chapter draws together and integrates currently disparate literature relating to neoliberal policy agendas and employment patterns; masculinities; and men’s health and wellbeing.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    We recognize that the independent sector, which provides health and social care services, is diverse, including charities and non-governmental organizations as well as for-profit companies, and therefore motivation for engagement with ‘difficult to engage’ groups does vary across this sector.

  2. 2.

    These shifts demonstrate a ‘hollowing out’ of the labour market with a demise of middle-tier employment (Tait 2016) and a north–south divide where newer, highly paid service sector work in banking and finance (predominantly ‘male’ work with fewer jobs) has mainly developed in the south, whereas much lower paid service sector work such as hospitality and retail (predominantly ‘female work’ with many more jobs) are geographically more widely dispersed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Men’s Health, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, UK

    Steve Robertson & Mark Robinson

  2. Social Psychology, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, UK

    Brendan Gough

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  1. Steve Robertson
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom

    Charlie Walker

  2. Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia

    Steven Roberts

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Robertson, S., Gough, B., Robinson, M. (2018). Masculinities and Health Inequalities Within Neoliberal Economies. In: Walker, C., Roberts, S. (eds) Masculinity, Labour, and Neoliberalism. Global Masculinities. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63172-1_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63172-1_14

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