The Visibility of Men and Invisibility of Men-as-Men

An interest in men’s health is seen as a curious and, perhaps, peripheral topic in the flow of health care and disease prevention. And yet, men’s health is at risk in a wide range of areas, including mental health, self-care, cardiovascular disease and intentional and unintentional injury.

Part of responding to these health challenges is a willingness for us men to look beyond our sense of invincibility and embrace areas of weakness and vulnerability. But, this is difficult when, for millennia, we have harboured beliefs in the superiority of men and our automatic entitlement to positions of power. This presentation will make the case that while men maintain high visibility in social systems, their status as men, their masculinity, is subsumed into a de-gendered norm, a given, in which men-as-men fade into the background. The presentation will conclude by exploring ways this might be addressed in health care and health promotion.