In these turbulent times for gender politics in general and masculinities in particular, we explore two key contexts in which gender roles are developed, understood and performed for men: at home and at work.  Dr Beattie explores contemporary cultural and psychological dilemmas for men in these private and public spheres and considers how these may inform the therapeutic process and content.  The aim is to build an affirmative therapeutic practice, both for working with men as well as with clients dealing with issues that affect the men in their lives.

Using the latest research and clinical case studies this full-day seminar specifically considers the following:

Men at Work

• Masculine gender norms include winning, pursuit of status, and primacy of work as core parts of what it means to be a man
  • I work therefore I am: Understanding the primacy of work as a form of identity and self-worth for men and the role of the ‘public’ sphere as a place where masculinities are performed and contested
  • He who has the most toys when he dies wins: What is the role of competitiveness and how different forms of labour are valued and exchanged between men
• How are the models of man as ‘breadwinner’ and provider changing and what are they being replaced by? What role do men see for themselves in work?
• Gender equality in the workplace. Exploring the gender pay gap, gendered role expectations and harassment and bullying in the workplace
• What are the core process issues presenting in a work context for men?
  • When things go wrong and men act out and are disciplined for emotional/boundary-based failures in the workplace
  • Work-based stress and competitive burnout
  • “I don’t even know who I am any more” – working with loss of identity through unemployment and redundancy

Men at Home

• What are the ways in which family structures are changing and how do men find themselves situated within them?
  • Father as ‘head of the household’ has traditionally been the foundational building block of patriarchy, but things are changing. What are the models of modern fatherhood and how are the ways in which men understand themselves as husband and father changing?
  • Father as ‘bridge’ is a key idea in psychodynamic understandings of fatherhood. What are the different ways in which men act as a role model to their children and particularly to their sons in modelling masculinity
• What are some of the core process issues presenting in a domestic context for men?
  • Challenges in holding the role of husband and father
  • Relationship breakdown and divorce
  • Domestic violence and abuse

© nscience 2021 / 22