Discourses of masculinity in the greater Accra metropolitan area and their use in (re) constructing perceived masculine selves

Abstract

This study explored the discourses of masculinity employed by men in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) in (re) constructing their masculinities. It addresses a research gap in the area of gender studies in Ghana, masculinity studies and contributes to the gender and development scholarship deliberations on the importance of researching men and masculinity performance for the achievement of gender equality. Using qualitative methods, the study gathered data from females and males aged between 13 and 70 years who are residents in the GAMA. In all, a total of 29 individual and 15 group interviews were undertaken. The study adopted the symbolic interactionism theory as its theoretical underpinning whilst the discourse analysis and grounded theory approaches were employed in analysing the data. The findings of the study revealed the existence of diverse masculinity discourses available to men in shaping their masculinities. Nonetheless, men differed in which of the discourses they employed in constructing their preferred masculinity. 'Being responsible' was, however, an important discourse preferred by men of all ages and socio-economic background. Peers and male figures were also identified as the most preferred sources of information and guide in fashioning perceived masculinities. The study recommends that gender researchers in Ghana pay attention to masculinity discourses and their interpretation in all aspects of their research on men as a tool for achieving sustainable gender equality.