Education Authority Y Box Doc

TOPIC 3: HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS The findings of several studies, including the Harland and McCready (2012) longitudinal study and the more recent report by Walsh (2022) analysing data from more than 600 young people have found that young men are greatly influenced by the environment and by those around them. Likewise, young men greatly affect their environments. Young men are part of families, schools, communities, and are part of intimate relationships. However research has also found that the relationships that young men have are not always healthy (Walsh, 2023) and that many young men feel a disconnection. In many cases, young men feel isolated within their communities, with adults around them and detached from meaningful decision making processes. Higher endorsement of hegemonic masculine values have been shown to determine the nature and quality of romantic relationships, and may even predict levels of gender based violence (GBV). Unsurprisingly, some young men’s attitudes and beliefs about girls and young women, as well as regarding prospective relationships is viewed through their lens of masculinity. This is an important and under-evaluated area of gender conscious practice. However, gender based violence is so intrinsically linked to masculine identity that it must be explored in any comprehensive work with young men. Research has demonstrated that young men often hold complex and contradictory beliefs about violence against women and girls. For example, whilst most young men indicate that violence against females is never warranted, and may even contribute to the emasculation of young men, their beliefs often waver when presented with more nuanced details. For example, when asked if it is OK to be violent towards a female in a situation where they are disrespecting them, or

Traditional masculine norms • A man must be sexually active • A man must be physically fit and strong • A man must have a family and also economically provide for his family • A man must protect those whom he loves • A man should not express anything that denotes weakness

We have found through research and practice that adhering to stereotypical male expectations can cause confusion and uncertainty amongst boys and young men. Few of these expectations are ever discussed or challenged, and fewer are critically appraised. What we find then is that left unchecked, these broad expectations communicated roughly as ‘act like a man’ through family, the media, and the community can result in belief systems that accept and justify many types of problem behaviours.

ATTITUDE:

Real men have lots of money

BELIEF:

I must have lots of money or I’m not a real man

BEHAVIOUR:

Threat, intimidation and exploitation

shouting at them, or hitting them - there is an observable internal debate. Comments such as ‘it’s not OK to hit girls but…’ often precede lengthy justifications for why and when it is OK. Threats (psychological or physical) often legitimize gender-based violence, and of course, for traumatized young men, threats can appear to exist in places where no material threats exists (Walsh, 2019). Findings from Harland and McCready (2015) suggest that in general, 70% of boys and young men believe that violence is acceptable under certain circumstances. Those circumstances are by no means static given that justifications are both cognitive and therefore subjective. Justification of young men’s behaviour and the harm caused to others is often negatively correlated. That is, as the justification for aggressive and violent behaviour increased in strength, the perceived impact on the victim reduces. In their longitudinal study Harland and McCready (2012) found that young men were most likely to find hitting/ punching Brother (45%) or Friend (44%) or Gay/lesbian (41%) acceptable under certain circumstances. Whilst 93% believed that it was wrong to hit a ‘girl’, the number significantly dropped with additional caveats (such as a girl who talks behind your back). It appears that when young men are faced with the dilemma of maintaining a moral code of ‘do not hit a girl’ and the obligatory response to perceived threat to status, moral codes may be fluid and priorities can change. It is vital therefore that practitioners move beyond superficial conversations with boys and young men and challenge the more nuanced and contradictory beliefs that ultimately contribute to gender based violence and harmful relationships.

TOPIC 2: VIOLENCE Gender expectations, rules and norms are a consistently strong predictor of attitudes that endorse violence. Violence is a normative activity for young men. Many interactions are not even considered to be violent. Violence is also a normalised behavioural response to subjective stress for young men. Even during early adolescence, acceptance of normative male expectations greatly predictor toleration of aggression and perpetration of violence. From an early age boys are conditioned to behave and act a certain way that is different to girls and are socialized into a way of being male. Aggression is considered to be a legitimate form of expression and this is reinforced by boys, male role models and by females in their lives as boys develop. As a result, boys and young men are not routinely engaged in processes that facilitate their critical appraisal of these behaviours or the attitudes and beliefs that sustain them.

ATTITUDE:

Men are the breadwinners, the defenders

ATTITUDE:

Men can’t let anyone walk all over them

If anyone threatens me or those I love I have a right (duty) to respond. If I don’t, I’m not a real man and am more at risk from others who see weakness

BELIEF:

I don’t agree with hitting girls but if they are threatening me then I have no choice. It is their fault.

BELIEF:

BEHAVIOUR:

Peer violence

BEHAVIOUR:

Gender based violence

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