Skip to main content

The Current Context of Men’s Health and Illness

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Wounded Masculinities
  • 66 Accesses

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of contemporary literature on men’s health and illness, focusing on the relation between masculinities and health practices and outcomes. In public discourse, as well as in academic debate, it emerges that usually men experience poorer health outcomes compared to women. Over time, different disciplines have studied the nature of these disadvantages, their possible underlying causes, and the potential actions to be taken to reduce health disparities. This chapter delves into various disciplinary perspectives, from early biological and psychological explanations to sociological theorization and studies. Particular attention will be dedicated to the debate on the hegemonic masculinity framework and its further developments, as well as contemporary literature on third wave critical studies on men and masculinities, examining its importance in better understanding men’s experience of health and illness.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 89.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Anderson, E. (2010). Inclusive masculinity: The changing nature of masculinities. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203871485

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Annandale, E. (2003). Gender and health status: Does biology matter? In S. J. Williams, L. Birke, & G. A. Bendelow (Eds.), Debating biology: Sociological reflections on health, medicine and society (pp. 84–96). Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arxer, S. L. (2011). Hybrid masculine power: Reconceptualizing the relationship between homosociality and hegemonic masculinity. Humanity & Society, 35(4), 390–422. https://doi.org/10.1177/016059761103500404

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baker, L., Meldrum, K. K., Wang, M., Sankula, R., Vanam, R., Raiesdana, A., et al. (2003). The role of estrogen in cardiovascular disease. Journal of Surgical Research, 115(2), 325–344.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bem, S. L. (1974). The measurement of psychological androgyny. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 42, 155–162.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Birke, L. (2003). Shaping biology: Feminism and the idea of ‘the biological’. In S. J. Williams, L. Birke, & G. A. Bendelow (Eds.), Debating biology: Sociological reflections on health, medicine and society (pp. 39–52). Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bly, R. (1990). Iron John: A book about men. Addison-Wesley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boni, F. (2004). Men’s Help. Sociologia dei periodici maschili. Meltemi.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bourdieu, P. (1977). Outline of a theory of practice. Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Bourdieu, P. (1984). Distinction. Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of capital. In J. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education (pp. 241–258). Greenwood.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brannon, R. (1976). The male sex role: Our culture’s blueprint of manhood, and what it’s done for us lately. In R. Brannon & D. S. David (Eds.), The forty-nine percent majority (pp. 1–49). Addison-Wesley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bridget, T., & Pascoe, C. I. (2014). Connell’s concept of hegemonic masculinity: A critique. Theory and Society, 30(3), 337–336.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brod, H., & Kaufman, M. (1994). Theorizing masculinities. Sage.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Broom, A. (2004). Prostate cancer and masculinity in Australian society: A case of stolen identity? International Journal of Men’s Health, 3(2).

    Google Scholar 

  • Broom, D. H., & Lenagh-Maguire, A. (2010). Gendered configurations of diabetes: From rules to exceptions. Journal of Gender Studies, 19(2), 195–209.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bury, M. (1982). Chronic illness as biographical disruption. Sociology of Health & Illness, 4(2), 167–182. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9566.ep11339939

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cannito, M. (2020). Beyond “traditional” and “new”: An attempt of redefinition of contemporary fatherhoods through discursive practices and practices of care. Men and Masculinities, 23(3–4), 661–679.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cardano, M., Costa, G., & Demaria, M. (2004). Social mobility and health in the Turin longitudinal study. Social Science & Medicine, 58(8), 1563–1574.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carrigan, T., Connell, R. W., & Lee, J. (1985). Hard and heavy: Toward a new sociology of masculinity. Theory and Society, 14, 551–603.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chapple, A., & Ziebland, S. (2002). Prostate cancer: Embodied experience and perceptions of masculinity. Sociology of Health & Illness, 24(6), 820–841. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9566.00320

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Charmaz, K. (1995). Identity, dilemmas of chronically ill men. In D. Sabo & D. F. Gordon (Eds.), Men’s health and illness: Gender, power and the body (pp. 266–291). Sage Publications.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Connell, R. (2012). Gender, health and theory: Conceptualizing the issue, in local and world perspective. Social Science & Medicine, 74(11), 1675–1683.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Connell, R., & Pearse, R. (2015). Gender: In world perspective. Polity.

    Google Scholar 

  • Connell, R. W. (1987). Gender and power: Society, the person, and sexual politics. Stanford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Connell, R. W. (1995). Masculinities. Polity.

    Google Scholar 

  • Connell, R. W. (1996). Teaching the boys: New research on masculinity, and gen-der strategies for schools. Teachers College Record, 98(2), 206–235.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Connell, R. W., & Messerschmidt, J. W. (2005). Hegemonic masculinity: Rethinking the concept. Gender and Society, 9(6), 829–859.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Courtenay, W. (2009). Theorising masculinity and men’s health. In Men’s health: Body, identity and social context (pp. 9–32). John Wiley & Sons.

    Google Scholar 

  • Courtenay, W. H. (2000). Constructions of masculinity and their influence on men’s well-being: A theory of gender and health. Social Science, 50(10), 1385–1401.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crawford, R. (1980). Healthism and the medicalization of everyday life. International Journal of Health Services, 10(3), 365–388.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Creighton, G., & Oliffe, J. L. (2010). Theorising masculinities and men’s health: A brief history with a view to practice. Health Sociology Review, 19(4), 409–418. https://doi.org/10.5172/hesr.2010.19.4.409

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dahlgren, G., Whitehead, M., & World Health Organization. (2006). Levelling up (part 2): A discussion paper on European strategies for tackling social inequities in health (No. EUR/06/5062295). WHO Regional Office for Europe.

    Google Scholar 

  • David, D. S., & Brannon, R. (Eds.). (1976). The forty-nine percent majority: The male sex role. Random House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Day, K., Gough, B., & McFadden, M. (2003). Women who drink and fight: A Discourse analysis of working-class women’s talk. Feminism & Psychology, 13(2), 141–158. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959353503013002002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Visser, R., & Smith, J. A. (2006). Mister in-between: A case study of masculine identity and health-related behaviour. Journal of Health Psychology, 11(5), 685–695. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105306066624

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Visser, R. O., Smith, J. A., & McDonnell, E. J. (2009). ‘That’s not masculine’: Masculine capital and health-related behaviour. Journal of Health Psychology, 14(7), 1047–1058. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105309342299

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Demetriou, D. Z. (2001). Connell’s concept of hegemonic masculinity: A critique. Theory and Society, 30(3), 337–361. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1017596718715

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Edwards, T. (2004). Cultures of masculinity. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203005224

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Engel, G. L. (1977). The need for a new medical model: A challenge for biomedicine. Science, 196(4286), 129–136.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eurostat. (2023). Healthy life years statistics. Retrieved July 20, 2023, from https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Healthy_life_years_statistics.

  • Faludi, S. (1999). Stiffed: The betrayal of the modern man. Chatto & Windus.

    Google Scholar 

  • Farrell, W. (1974). The liberated man beyond masculinity: Freeing men and their relationships with women. Random House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Farrell, W. (1975). The liberated man. Random House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fausto-Sterling, A. (2003). The problem with sex/gender and nature/nurture. In S. J. Williams, L. Birke, & G. A. Bendelow (Eds.), Debating biology: Sociological reflections on health, medicine and society (pp. 123–132). Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Feigen-Fasteau, M. (1974). The male machine. McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferrero Camoletto, R. (2015). La dimensione socioculturale del corpo. In Dalla parte della vita. Fondamenti e percorsi bioetici (Vol. 3, pp. 551–567). Effatà Editrice.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferrero Camoletto, R., & Bertone, C. (Eds.) (2016). La fragilità del sesso forte: Come medicalizzare la maschilità. Mimesis.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferrero Camoletto, R. F., & Scavarda, A. (2020). Il cibo come specchio: la costruzione delle maschilità tra adolescenti e giovani uomini. AG About Gender-International Journal of Gender Studies, 9(17), 97–141.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fidolini, V. (2022). Eating like a man. Food, masculinities and self-care behavior. Food, Culture & Society, 25(2), 254–267. https://doi.org/10.1080/15528014.2021.1882795

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fidolini, V., & Merienne, A. (2022). Le genre de l’asthme. Filles et garçons face à une maladie chronique. Territoires Contemporains, (16).

    Google Scholar 

  • Flurey, C. A., Hewlett, S., Rodham, K., White, A., Noddings, R., & Kirwan, J. (2016). Men, rheumatoid arthritis, psychosocial impact and self-management: a narrative review. Journal of Health Psychology, 21(10), 2168–2182.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fornasini, S., Miele, F., & Piras, E. M. (2018). Maschilità e malattia cronica. Il caso dei padri con figli diabetici. Rassegna Italiana di Sociologia, 59(1), 51–76.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frank, A. W. (2013). The wounded storyteller: Body, illness & ethics. University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gerschick, T. J., & Miller, A. S. (2013). Gender identities at the crossroads of masculinity and physical disability. In Toward a new psychology of gender (pp. 455–475). Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gibbs, L. (2005). Applications of Masculinity theories in a chronic illness context. International Journal of Men’s Health, 4(3), 287–300.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gill, R. (2003). Power and the production of subjects: A genealogy of the new man and the new lad. The Sociological Review, 51(1_suppl), 34–56. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-954X.2003.tb03602.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goffman, E. (1959). The presentation of self in everyday life. Doubleday.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goldberg, H. (1976). The hazards of being male: Surviving the myth of masculine privilege. Nash Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gramsci, A. (1971). Selections from the prison notebooks (Ed. and Trans. Q. Hoare and G. N. Smith). International.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gray, R. E., Fitch, M. I., Fergus, K. D., Mykhalovskiy, E., & Church, K. (2002). Hegemonic masculinity and the experience of prostate cancer: A narrative approach. Journal of Aging and Identity, 7, 43–62.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Halberstam, J. (1998). Female masculinity. Duke University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Harrison, J. (1978). Warning: The male sex role may be dangerous to your health. Journal of Social Issues, 34(1), 65–86.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hearn, J. (2004). From hegemonic masculinity to the hegemony of men. Feminist Theory, 5(1), 49–72. https://doi.org/10.1177/1464700104040813

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hearn, J., & Howson, R. (2020). The institutionalization of (critical) studies on men and masculinities. In L. Gottzén, U. Mellström, & T. Shefer (Eds.), Routledge international handbook of masculinity studies. Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • ISTAT. (2017). Diabetes in Italy. Retrieved March 15, 2023, from https://www.istat.it/en/files/2017/07/Report_Diabetes_En_def.pdf?title=Diabetes+in+Italy+-+24+Jul+2017+-+Full+text.pdf

  • ISTAT. (2023). Rapporto annuale 2023 La situazione del Paese. Retrieved July 20, 2023, from https://www.istat.it/storage/rapporto-annuale/2023/Rapporto_Annuale_2023.pdf

  • Jansen, S. C., & Sabo, D. (1994). The sport/war metaphor: Hegemonic masculinity, the Persian Gulf War, and the new world order. Sociology of Sport Journal, 11(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1123/ssj.11.1.1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kenway, J. (1995). Masculinities in schools, under siege, on the defensive and under reconstruction? Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 16(1), 59–80.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kimmel, M. S. (1987). Rethinking “Masculinity”: New directions in research. In M. S. Kimmel (Ed.), Changing men: New directions in research on men and masculinity. Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kimmel, M. S., Hearn, J., & Connell, R. W. (2005). Handbook of studies on men and masculinities. Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krieger, N. (2003). Genders, sexes, and health: What are the connections-and why does it matter? International Journal of Epidemiology, 32(4), 652–657.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kvigne, K., Kirkevold, M., Martinsen, R., & Bronken, B. A. (2014). Masculinity and strokes: The challenges presented to younger men by chronic illness. Journal of Gender Studies, 23(2), 197–210.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral learning. Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Lohan, M. (2007). How might we understand men’s health better? Integrating explanations from critical studies on men and inequalities in health. Social Science & Medicine, 65(3), 493–504. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2007.04.020

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lohan, M. (2010). Developing a critical men’s health debate in academic scholarship. In B. Gough & S. Robertson (Eds.), Men, masculinities and health. Critical perspectives. Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lopata, H. Z., & Thorne, B. (1978). On the term “sex roles”. Signs, 3(3), 718–721.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lupton, D. (1995). The imperative of health: Public health and the regulated body. Sage.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Martino, W. (1995). The hidden curriculum of masculinity in health education. Journal of School Health, 65(6), 218–222. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1746-1561.1995.tb03327.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Messerschmidt, J. W. (1993). Masculinities and crime: Critique and reconceptualization of theory. Rowman & Littlefield.

    Google Scholar 

  • Messner, M. A. (1998). The limits of “the male sex role” an analysis of the men’s liberation and men’s rights movements’ discourse. Gender & Society, 12(3), 255–276.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller, T. (2011). Making sense of fatherhood: Gender, caring and work. Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Muff, J. (1982). Socialization, sexism, and stereotyping: Women’s issues in nursing. C. V. Mosby.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nathanson, C. (1977). Sex roles as variables in preventive health behaviour. Journal of Community Health, 3(2), 142–155.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Hara, L., Gough, B., Seymour-Smith, S., & Watts, S. (2013). ‘It’s not a disease, it’sa nuisance’: Controlling diabetes and achieving goals in the context of men with Type 1 diabetes. Psychology & Health, 28(11), 1227–1245.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oliffe, J. (2006). Embodied masculinity and androgen deprivation therapy. Sociology of Health & Illness, 28(4), 410–432.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oliffe, J. L., & Thorne, S. (2007). Men, masculinities, and prostate cancer: Australian and Canadian patient perspectives of communication with male physicians. Qualitative Health Research, 17(2), 149–161.

    Google Scholar 

  • Paechter, C. (2003). Masculinities and femininities as communities of practice. Women’s Studies International Forum, 26(1), 69–77.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Petersen, A. (2009). Future research agenda in men’s health. In A. Broom & P. Tovey (Eds.), Men’s health: Body, identity and social context. John Wiley and Sons.

    Google Scholar 

  • Potts, A. (2000). “The essence of the hard on” hegemonic masculinity and the cultural construction of Erectile dysfunction. Men and Masculinities, 3(1), 85–103.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rinaldi, C. (2016). Sesso, sè e società. Per una sociologia delle sessualità. Mondadori.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robertson, S. (2007). EBOOK: Understanding men and health: Masculinities, identity and well-being. McGraw-Hill Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robertson, S. (2009). Theories of masculinities and men’s health-seeking practices. Nowhere Man’s Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robertson, S., & Kilvington-Dowd, L. (2019). Masculinity and men’s health disparities. Men’s health equity: A handbook. Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robertson, S., & Williams, R. A. (2010). Men, public health and health promotion: Towards a critically structural and embodied understanding. In B. Gough & S. Robertson (Eds.), Men, masculinities and health: Critical perspectives. Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robertson, S., Sheikh, K., & Moore, A. (2010). Embodied masculinities in the context of cardiac rehabilitation. Sociology of Health & Illness, 32(5), 695–710.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rome, J. M. (2021). Blogging wounded manhood: Negotiating hegemonic masculinity and the crisis of the male (in) fertile body. Women’s Studies in Communication, 44(1), 44–64.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenkrantz, P., Vogel, S., Bee, H., & Brovermann, I. (1968). Sex-role stereotypes and self-concepts in college students. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 32, 287–295.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rubin, G. (1975). The traffic in women: Notes on the “political economy” of sex. In R. R. Reiter (Ed.), Toward an anthropology of women (pp. 157–210). Monthly Review Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sabo, D. (2005). The study of masculinities and men’s health: An overview. In M. S. Kimmel, J. Hearn, & R. W. Connell (Eds.), Handbook of studies on men & masculinities (pp. 326–352). Sage Publications Ltd.. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781452233833

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Sabo, D., & Gordon, D. (1995). Rethinking men’s health and illness. In D. Sabo & D. Gordon (Eds.), Men’s health and illness: Gender, power, and the body. Sage Publications Ltd.. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781452243757

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Sassatelli, R., & Ghigi, R. (2024). Body and gender. Polity Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schofield, T., Connell, R. W., Walker, L., Wood, J. F., & Butland, D. L. (2000). Understanding men’s health and illness: A gender-relations approach to policy, research, and practice. Journal of American College Health, 48(6), 247–256. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448480009596266

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schrock, D., & Schwalbe, M. (2009). Men, masculinity, and manhood acts. Annual Review of Sociology, 35, 277–295.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scott, J. (2015). Raewyn Connell: Hegemonic masculinities, gender and male health. In The Palgrave handbook of social theory in health, illness and medicine (pp. 535–549). Palgrave Macmillan UK.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Segal, L. (1997). Slow motion: Changing masculinities, changing men (2nd ed., p. 69). Virago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simpson, M. (2002). Meet the metrosexual. Salon. Retrieved February 4, 2023, from http://dir.salon.com/story/ent/feature/2002/07/22/metrosexual/index2.html.

  • Skelton, C. (1993). Studying men: The sociology of masculinity. Sociology, 27(4), 583–601. https://doi.org/10.1177/0038038593027004003

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sloan, C., Gough, B., & Conner, M. (2010). Healthy masculinities? How ostensibly healthy men talk about lifestyle, health and gender. Psychology & Health, 25(7), 783–803. https://doi.org/10.1080/08870440902883204

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sontag, S. (1978). Illness as metaphor. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

    Google Scholar 

  • Terraneo, M. (2015). Inequities in health care utilization by people aged 50+: Evidence from 12 European countries. Social Science & Medicine, 126, 154–163.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thomas, W. I. (1928). The child in America. Alfred A. Knopf.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tolson, A. (1977). The limits of masculinity. Tavistock.

    Google Scholar 

  • Torres-Pagán, L., & Toro-Alfonso, J. (2017). Hegemonic masculinity as a key factor on health beliefs and seeking help in Puerto Rican men with hypertension: A qualitative study. Revista Puertorriqueña de Psicología, 28(1), 134–147.

    Google Scholar 

  • Valkonen, J., & Hänninen, V. (2013). Narratives of masculinity and depression. Men and Masculinities, 16(2), 160–180.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning as a social system. Systems Thinker, 9(5), 2–3.

    Google Scholar 

  • West, C., & Zimmerman, D. H. (1987). Doing gender. Gender & Society, 1(2), 125–151.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • WHO. (2018). Men’s health. Retrieved July 23, 2023, from https://www.who.int/europe/news-room/fact-sheets/item/men-s-health.

  • WHO. (2021). Gender and health. Retrieved July 21, 2023, from https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/gender-and-health

  • WHO. (2023). Gender and health. Retrieved July 22, 2023, from https://www.who.int/health-topics/gender#tab=tab_1

  • Williams, S. J. (2003). Bodily dys-order: Chronic illness as biographical disruption? In S. J. Williams (Ed.), Medicine and the body (pp. 95–111). Sage Publications Ltd. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446217795

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Quaglia, V. (2023). The Current Context of Men’s Health and Illness. In: Wounded Masculinities. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-44436-4_2

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-44436-4_2

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-44435-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-44436-4

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics