Now and Men

‘Femicide’ is broadly defined as the killing of women and girls due to their gender. So how do men who have perpetrated this fatal violence construct narrative histories to explain, justify, or process their actions? What is the role of emotions – fear, helplessness, pain, and anger – in their narratives? How can this help us to move beyond simplistic, individualising societal understandings of men who commit homicide, and what are the tensions of listening to the stories they tell? To what extent is femicide a reflection not only of individual acts of extreme violence but also of deeply ingrained gender norms, patriarchal power, and cultural impunity?

Based on extensive interview data with men convicted of intimate femicide across multiple countries in Latin America – which has seen particularly powerful feminist anti-femicide movements in recent years – in this episode Dr Martín Hernán Di Marco explores the intersection between violence perpetration and life-courses, masculinities, and social networks and systems. He addresses the limitations of medicalised approaches which explain lethal gender-based violence primarily through individual psychopathologies, mental health conditions, or personal substance abuse history. By examining the structural factors that contribute to femicide, as well as male-on-male homicide, he argues that it is possible to develop more effective interventions and alternative narratives that not only respond to violence, but also work to prevent it.

Originally from Argentina, Martín is an Associate Professor at OsloMet University in Norway. He’s also a Managing Editor of NORMA: International Journal for Masculinity Studies. His book, entitled ‘Taking Lives: Narratives of Latin American Femicide Perpetrators’, was published in 2025 by Palgrave Macmillan. 

• Martín’s profile page
• ResearchGate
• LinkedIn

If you need support:

• UK National Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0808 2000 247
• USA National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1 800 799 7233
• Australian domestic and sexual violence counselling service - 1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732
• No More Global Directory of domestic and sexual violence helplines and services

Episode timeline:

• Intro
• What femicide means (02:00-04:37)
• Anti-femicide movements in Latin America (04:37-06:25)
• What led Martín to this research (06:25-08:12)
• His relationship with feminism (08:12-11:28)
• The role of narratives in making sense of men’s violence (11:28-14:34)
• Changing the public story about men who use violence (14:34-17:02)
• How perpetrators rationalise their actions (17:02-23:11)
• The role of emotions in violence (23:11-27:03)
• Break
• What femicide and male-male homicide have to do with masculinity (27:15-35:51)
• The importance of place (35:51-37:34)
• The tensions involved in speaking to men who’ve used violence (37:34-41:58)
• Researching the role of wider social networks (41:58-43:21)
• Possibilities for desistance and behaviour change (43:21-48:36)
• The limitations of typologies and pathologising perpetrators (48:36-51:57)
• Attacks on women’s rights in Argentina under Javier Milei (51:57-57:20)
• Conclusion (57:26-01:04:47)

More info:

• UNODC Femicide Framework
• Ni una menos movement
• Primary, secondary and tertiary prevention
• Prof Dabney Evans
• Prof Lois Presser
• Hannah Arendt
• Femicide in Ciudad Juárez
• Rita Segato
• Twelve-Step Program
• Javier Milei - Argentina
• Gabriel Boric - Chile
• Dr Gwen Adshead
• ‘The Devil You Know’ book
• Reith Lectures 2024 – ‘Four Questions about Violence’
• Volunteering Matters (formerly Community Service Volunteers)
• CSV Volunteering - The Borstals Programme
• A bestselling true crime author, and the crimes he’s accused of – Guardian podcast

Music: 'Now is time', courtesy of Chaps' Choir and Dom Stichbury. Please note that the transcript is a rough estimation and is likely to contain errors. Please do not reproduce without permission.

How is policy towards men and boys developing in the UK, at a time when masculinity is on the agenda more than ever? What is the approach of the governing Labour Party, and what more could they do? And how can we make sure the voices and experiences of women and girls are not sidelined in the process? What is the gendered culture of the UK Parliament like today? And how can men in politics model a different kind of masculinity? Following the huge political upheaval in the UK recently with the appointment of Andy Burnham as Prime Minister, in this episode we talk to Alistair Strathern MP about some of the key policy issues currently under discussion in relation to masculinity and gender equality. These include extending paternity leave, increasing the numbers of male teachers, protecting young people from the manosphere, and men’s role in preventing violence against women. 

Alistair is Labour MP for the constituency of Hitchin, just north of London. He co-chairs the Labour Group for Men and Boys, which is “a campaigning group of MPs pushing the Labour Government to speak to young men and build a better masculinity”. He is a former maths teacher and climate insurance lead at the Bank of England. He’s just been re-appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary in the Treasury, acting as a two-way link between ministers and backbench MPs.

Alistair’s Linktree: https://linktr.ee/alistairstrathernmp

Episode timeline:

• Intro
• Why the Labour Group on Men and Boys was set up (02:31-04:17)
• Labour’s approach to men and boys (04:17-05:34)
• What issues the group is focusing on (05:34-10:45)
• Improving parental leave for fathers (10:45-13:34)
• How to make sure women’s voices and experiences aren’t marginalised (13:34-16:09)
• Men’s role in challenging violence against women (16:09-18:15)
• The discourse on male role models (18:15-21:52)
• The gendered culture of Parliament (21:52-24:50)
• The role of men politicians in offering leadership (24:50-26:25)
• Where Alistair’s passion for masculinity issues comes from (26:25-28:48)
• Men’s responses to the nature and climate emergencies (28:48-31:25)
• Seizing the opportunities of the current moment (31:25-32:59)
• Count Binface and masculinity? (32:59-34:48)
• Conclusion: Policy considerations surrounding men and masculinities (34:48-49:26)

More info: 

• The Spooky Men’s Chorale
• Beyond Equality
• FSB – Federation of Small Businesses
• ‘Building Bridges’: Principles for work with men and boys to end violence against women and girls
• Equimundo
• Mencare
• White Ribbon UK
• Prof Becky Francis
• Harriet Harman
• Prof Steven Roberts

Music: 'Now is time', courtesy of Chaps' Choir and Dom Stichbury. Please note that the transcript is a rough estimation and is likely to contain errors. Please do not reproduce without permission.

Sorry for the technical issues with this episode - we have re-released it and hopefully it should work fine now! Boys are often portrayed as incapable of or uninterested in developing emotionally close relationships. But Dr Judy Y Chu’s pioneering research shows that from a young age boys show significant relational capacities, such as empathy for others, emotional sensitivity, articulacy and attentiveness. In this episode, she describes the process of boys’ development, highlighting how, as they age, they come under pressure to conform to patriarchal norms of ‘being a man’. Despite the privileges that patriarchy confers, when pressured to ‘prove’ their masculinity by eschewing anything deemed feminine, adolescent boys learn to deny and devalue their emotional range and relational qualities. By hindering the emotionally close relationships they need to thrive, boys’ gender socialisation can make them more susceptible to psychological and social harms, such as mental health issues, alcohol and drug misuse, and violence. Responding to these issues and wider cultural pressures such as the Manosphere, Judy emphasises that we can support boys’ healthy development by normalising their capacity for emotionally close relations, promoting positive ways of being, and helping them to recognise and resist restrictive masculine norms.

Judy is an educator and researcher whose work examines boys’ gender socialisation, relationships, and development during early childhood and adolescence, drawing on her long-term collaboration with influential feminist psychologist Professor Carol Gilligan. She is the author of a book called ‘When Boys Become Boys’, and recently contributed a chapter on boys' social and emotional development to the ‘Oxford Handbook on Masculinities and Mental Health’.

For over 20 years, Judy taught a course on Boys' Psychosocial Development at Stanford University. She has served in advisory roles for non-profit organizations including Movember, Equimundo, Roots of Empathy, Build Up Boys, The Foundation for Positive Masculinity, and the American Psychological Association’s Task Force on Supporting Boys in Schools.

• Judy’s website
• LinkedIn

Episode timeline

• Intro (00:00-02:32)
• Boys’ relational capacities (02:32-04:32)
• How these start to be concealed (04:32-07:49)
• How hiding their emotional selves can impact boys and men (07:49-11:00)
• The consequences for their relationships (11:00-14:14)
• Possibilities for reconnection with these emotional capabilities (14:14-17:28)
• What adults can do to help boys resist restrictive masculine norms (17:28-21:47)
• Break (21:47-21:59)
• Judy’s methodological approach (21:59-27:42)
• Examples of boys’ resistance which have stayed with Judy (27:42-34:50)
• How the suppression of boys’ relationality can damage their self-esteem (34:50-39:57)
• What got Judy interested in feminist research with boys (39:57-47:24)
• How it affects her as a parent (47:24-51:46)
• How to respond to young men being drawn into the Manosphere (51:46-58:11)
• Conclusion (58:11-01:07:52)

More info

• Carol Gilligan
• Stuart Miller – Men and Friendship
• Terry Real
• Michael Resnick et al. – Protecting adolescents from harm
• Joseph Pleck – The Myth of Masculinity
• Erving Goffman
• Fred Rogers
• Won't You Be My Neighbor documentary
• A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood
• Marc Brackett – Permission to Feel
• Neil Postman – Amusing Ourselves to Death
• Shaun Candaran, Australian Childhood Foundation
• Frosh, Phoenix and Pattman – 'Young Masculinities'

Music: 'Now is time', courtesy of Chaps' Choir and Dom Stichbury. Please note that the transcript is a rough estimation and is likely to contain errors. Please do not reproduce it without permission.

Boys are often portrayed as incapable of or uninterested in developing emotionally close relationships. But Dr Judy Y Chu’s pioneering research shows that from a young age boys show significant relational capacities, such as empathy for others, emotional sensitivity, articulacy and attentiveness. In this episode, she describes the process of boys’ development, highlighting how, as they age, they come under pressure to conform to patriarchal norms of ‘being a man’. Despite the privileges that patriarchy confers, when pressured to ‘prove’ their masculinity by eschewing anything deemed feminine, adolescent boys learn to deny and devalue their emotional range and relational qualities. By hindering the emotionally close relationships they need to thrive, boys’ gender socialisation can make them more susceptible to psychological and social harms, such as mental health issues, alcohol and drug misuse, and violence. Responding to these issues and wider cultural pressures such as the Manosphere, Judy emphasises that we can support boys’ healthy development by normalising their capacity for emotionally close relations, promoting positive ways of being, and helping them to recognise and resist restrictive masculine norms.

Judy is an educator and researcher whose work examines boys’ gender socialisation, relationships, and development during early childhood and adolescence, drawing on her long-term collaboration with influential feminist psychologist Professor Carol Gilligan. She is the author of a book called ‘When Boys Become Boys’, and recently contributed a chapter on boys' social and emotional development to the ‘Oxford Handbook on Masculinities and Mental Health’.

For over 20 years, Judy taught a course on Boys' Psychosocial Development at Stanford University. She has served in advisory roles for non-profit organizations including Movember, Equimundo, Roots of Empathy, Build Up Boys, The Foundation for Positive Masculinity, and the American Psychological Association’s Task Force on Supporting Boys in Schools.

• Judy’s website
• LinkedIn

Episode timeline

• Intro (00:00-02:32)
• Boys’ relational capacities (02:32-04:32)
• How these start to be concealed (04:32-07:49)
• How hiding their emotional selves can impact boys and men (07:49-11:00)
• The consequences for their relationships (11:00-14:14)
• Possibilities for reconnection with these emotional capabilities (14:14-17:28)
• What adults can do to help boys resist restrictive masculine norms (17:28-21:47)
• Break (21:47-21:59)
• Judy’s methodological approach (21:59-27:42)
• Examples of boys’ resistance which have stayed with Judy (27:42-34:50)
• How the suppression of boys’ relationality can damage their self-esteem (34:50-39:57)
• What got Judy interested in feminist research with boys (39:57-47:24)
• How it affects her as a parent (47:24-51:46)
• How to respond to young men being drawn into the Manosphere (51:46-58:11)
• Conclusion (58:11-01:07:52)

More info

• Carol Gilligan
• Stuart Miller – Men and Friendship
• Terry Real
• Michael Resnick et al. – Protecting adolescents from harm
• Joseph Pleck – The Myth of Masculinity
• Erving Goffman
• Fred Rogers
• Won't You Be My Neighbor documentary
• A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood
• Marc Brackett – Permission to Feel
• Neil Postman – Amusing Ourselves to Death
• Shaun Candaran, Australian Childhood Foundation
• Frosh, Phoenix and Pattman – 'Young Masculinities'

Music: 'Now is time', courtesy of Chaps' Choir and Dom Stichbury. Please note that the transcript is a rough estimation and is likely to contain errors - please do not reproduce it without permission.

Can poetry change the way people see the world? Can it help men to deal with and open up about their own vulnerabilities – and help to shift ideas about manhood? We talk to 21-year-old spoken word poet Sam Browne about how it has had exactly these impacts on him, and how he is now using poetry to express his deepest feelings and struggles – and to push back against anti-feminist forces such as the manosphere. In the process, Sam’s art highlights alternative ways of being for young men centred on love, care, and connection – whilst giving voice to the pain of trying to fit into a patriarchal society in which issues such as mental health continue to be bottled up.

Sam reads out four of his moving poems, and we discuss the ideas behind them and how they connect to contemporary pressures of masculinity. Sam shares his own journey into poetry via comedy, from being an active participant in ‘lad culture’ to finding himself through the arts, and learning about then starting to speak out about gender-based violence thanks to the women around him. He articulates the liberation of ridding oneself of the shackles of gender norms, finding what we are passionate about, and not being afraid to show that we care – and the power of the arts to help us do that.

Sam is from Southend, Essex in the UK, and his performances have developed an online following of 100,000+ and tens of millions of views. He has won awards for his activism as well as numerous poetry slams, and recently featured in the BBC documentary ‘Eastenders Investigates: The Manosphere’. He now performs at conferences, summits, in schools and at some of the biggest poetry nights in the world.

• Sam’s website (including tour info)
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• TikTok

Timeline:

• Intro (00:00-02:40)
• Poem: Hinge and Harry Kane (02:40-04:33)
• Navigating contemporary dating pressures (04:33-09:29)
• Sam’s journey into poetry (09:29-15:04)
• The relationship between poetry and masculinity (15:04-20:49)
• Unravelling internalised misogyny (20:49-29:22)
• Poem: Like a Man (29:22-30:39)
• The intergenerational transmission of manhood (30:39-36:31)
• The ‘therapeutic self-destruction’ men engage in (36:31-40:06)
• Break (40:06-40:16)
• Poem: Ben’s purpose (40:16-41:17)
• The transformative power of relationships (41:17-49:40)
• Advice for other young men (49:40-52:59)
• Poem: Flowers (52:59-54:24)
• Conclusion (54:24-01:04:14)

More info:

• It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley
• Charles Bukowski
• Mumble rap
• BalletBoyz
• Billy Elliot
• Joelle Taylor

Music: 'Now is time', courtesy of Chaps' Choir and Dom Stichbury. Please note that the transcript is a rough estimation and is likely to contain errors - please do not reproduce it without permission.

What are militarised masculinities, and how are they influencing the many current conflicts around the world, including the US and Israel’s war against Iran? What are the main drivers of men’s involvement in armed conflict? And what does it mean to mobilise men for feminist peace? In this episode Dean Peacock reflects on the issues that underpin structural and interpersonal violence in our multi-polar world. Whilst it is important to focus on patriarchal norms and pressures around masculinities, he argues that other factors – such as economic interests, the arms industry, resource extraction, land dispossession, state repression, corruption, colonialism, inequality and poverty – are also critical and need to be addressed in the pursuit of peace-building. Drawing on his work and that of colleagues, particularly at WILPF (the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom), he examines how these forces contribute to conflict in countries across the Middle East, Ukraine and parts of Africa, and what needs to be done in response.

As Commissioner on the Lancet Commission on Gun Violence and Health, and co-leader of the newly launched Global Coalition for WHO Action on Firearm Violence, Dean also unpicks the ways in which firearms and gun violence link to men and masculinities, including through marketing practices and the video games industry. He identifies too the significance of alcohol abuse and alcohol marketing in fuelling interpersonal violence, in South Africa and many other countries.

We conclude by talking about Dean’s personal journey through this work, from his early involvement in activism for peace and equality through campaigning against apartheid in the 1980s, to some of the early profeminist campaigns and movements engaging with men about violence prevention and gender equality in the US, South Africa, and internationally.

Based in Cape Town and Los Angeles, Dean has worked for over three decades to advance gender equality, violence prevention, and health equity. Alongside his current roles, he was Director of the WILPF’s ‘Mobilising Men for Feminist Peace’ initiative. He is the co-founder and former Executive Director of Sonke Gender Justice, a leading international NGO based in South Africa, and co-founder and former Global Co-Chair of the MenEngage Alliance. He is also an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Cape Town’s School of Public Health, a Visiting Fellow at the Geneva Graduate Institute’s Gender Centre, and an Affiliated Scholar at the University of San Diego’s Kroc School of Peace Studies. His writing has been published widely in books, academic journals, and global media outlets.

• Read Dean’s publications
• Follow him on LinkedIn

Episode timeline:

• The importance of a decolonial approach (02:52-05:27)
• Making sense of the surge in war and militarism (05:27-12:56)
• The role of militarised masculinities in conflicts such as the war on Iran (12:56-17:12)
• The drivers of men’s involvement in armed conflicts (17:12-27:46)
• How work with men can address structural forces (27:46-37:30)
• Break
• Addressing the firearms industry and its exploitation of gender norms (37:40-47:40)
• Dean’s personal journey through this work (47:40-54:48)
• Should ‘transforming masculinities’ be our end goal? (54:48-59:10)
• Conclusion (59:16-01:07:19)

More info:

• ‘Gender Equality and Men: Lessons from Practice’, edited by Sandy
• The Khoisan people
• Mobilising Men for Feminist Peace podcast
• ‘Evolving Alliances: Men and Women – Access to Land, Gender Relations and Conflict in Anglophone Cameroon’, by Lotsmart Fonjong
• Pete Muller Photography
• ACOOC, Colombia
• ‘A more generous embrace: Why addressing the needs of adolescent boys and men is essential to an effective humanitarian response in Cameroon’s North West and South West’, by Delphine Brun
• Dr David Duriesmith – researcher on militarised masculinities
• What Works to Prevent Violence Against Women
• Diepsloot, Johannesburg
• ‘Rethinking Primary Prevention’, by Jess Hill and Prof Michael Salter
• Prof Mark Bellis – researcher on the commercial determinants of violence
• Dr Roger Stahl
• WHO Respect Framework
• WHO Inspire Framework
• Dr Jackson Katz
• Dr Finn Mackay
• Ray Acheson
• ‘Against Masculinity’, by Nathan Robinson
• Berta Cáceres
• ‘If….’, by Lindsay Anderson

Music: 'Now is time', courtesy of Chaps' Choir and Dom Stichbury. Please note that the transcript is a rough estimation and is likely to contain errors - please do not reproduce it without permission.

The need to engage with men and boys about issues such as consent, healthy relationships, and preventing violence and abuse is more urgent than ever at a time when world leaders such as Donald Trump and spaces like the Manosphere are projecting dominating, destructive images of masculinity around the world. This certainly applies in Canada, where the spread of far-right politics next-door in the US is having a significant impact – and where Prime Minister Mark Carney is arguably demonstrating a different kind of leadership.

Our guest, Landon Kenney, is someone who is working to show that men and boys don’t have to be angry, tough and violent – and that they can work together with women, girls and gender diverse people to create a more equitable and peaceful society. He coordinates the Male Allies Program for the Sexual Assault Support Centre of the Waterloo Region in Ontario (SASC), Canada.

In this episode, Landon tells us about the work that SASC and the Male Allies Program have been doing since 2008 to prevent sexual and gender-based violence with men, boys, and organisations such as Hockey Canada and the Ontario Hockey League. We discuss the importance of changing macho sporting cultures, highlighted by the sexual assault scandal in Canadian ice hockey in recent years. We also talk about hopeful shifts in cultural discourses about masculine norms, exemplified in the recent hugely popular Canadian TV series ‘Heated Rivalry’. We explore how masculinity is depicted in this powerful show, and the potential it has to help men and boys open up about intimacy, vulnerability, and sexuality.

Find out more:

• Sexual Assault Support Centre of the Waterloo Region
• SASC’s Public Education Resources
• The Male Allies Program
• Landon Kenney

We also discuss a new practical guide produced by the UK End Violence Against Women Coalition and others to help talk about the ways in which violence against women and girls is being weaponised for anti-immigration narratives: https://www.endviolenceagainstwomen.org.uk/not-in-our-name-womens-rights-groups-reclaim-the-narrative-on-vawg/

Episode timeline:

• Intro
• What the Male Allies Program involves (02:41-04:29)
• How the program was initiated by the Sexual Assault Support Centre (04:29-07:48)
• Landon’s own journey into this work (07:48-11:00)
• Being accountable to women (11:00-17:36)
• The impacts violence prevention work has on men and boys (17:36-21:38)
• How Trump has affected Canadian society and Mark Carney's response (21:38-29:17)
• Break
• Working to create change in ice hockey and sport (29:26-33:07)
• Addressing hypermasculine sports cultures (33:07-36:46)
• The Hockey Canada sexual assault scandal (36:46-40:40)
• Heated Rivalry and its portrayal of masculinity (40:40-47:09)
• The impact of the show on Canadian society (47:09-50:53)
• Professional male athletes coming out as gay (50:53-53:34)
• The future for profeminist work in Canada (53:34-55:42)
• Conclusion (55:49-01:02:36)

More info:

• Gisèle Pelicot – ‘A Hymn to Life’
• Manon Garcia – ‘Living with Men’
• bell hooks – ‘The Will to Change’
• Steven Roberts – ‘Why straight men’s embrace of a queer sports romance TV show matters right now’
• Jacob Tierney
• Canada ‘Freedom Convoy’ protest

Music: 'Now is time', courtesy of Chaps' Choir and Dom Stichbury. Please note that the transcript is a rough estimation and is likely to contain errors - please do not reproduce it without permission.

Many men are now engaging in a variety of behaviours traditionally associated with femininity – such as trying to make their bodies look good, worrying about their fertility, and opening up about their emotions. But what is driving these shifts? And to what extent do such practices challenge conventional norms of masculinity, or reinforce them? In this episode, Prof Brendan Gough discusses his wide-ranging research on contemporary constructions of masculinity. 

We explore the pressures patriarchal societies place on men: to be fit and healthy, lean and muscular, sexually virile, and self-reliant, and how these combine with neoliberal expectations that disciplining our bodies and having good wellbeing is an individual responsibility. We also discuss the ways in which these norms are being subtly challenged and changed, for example through efforts to encourage men to be open and honest about their feelings and struggles such as depression, and provide support to one other, including in online communities. Brendan reflects on what can help to steer this change in healthy directions – and how spaces such as the Manosphere may be exacerbating men’s insecurities about their bodies. He also considers the strengths and weaknesses of the UK government’s new men’s health strategy and health promotion efforts aimed at men.

Brendan is a critical social psychologist and qualitative researcher based at Leeds Beckett University in the UK. Over several decades, he has published a wealth of research on men and masculinities, particularly in relation to health, lifestyle, and wellbeing.

• University profile page
• LinkedIn
• ‘Contemporary Masculinities: Embodiment, Emotion and Wellbeing’ (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018)
• ‘(In)Fertile Male Bodies: Masculinities and Lifestyle Management in Neoliberal Times’ (with Dr Esmée Hanna, Emerald, 2022)

Episode timeline

• Intro
• What sparked Brendan’s interest in masculinity (02:08-05:40)
• The positives as well as harms of online spaces (05:40-09:36)
• Men’s complex current relationship with gender equality (09:36-13:44)
• ‘Healthism’ and its connections to masculinity (13:44-15:40)
• The use of masculine norms in health promotion (15:40-19:55)
• The UK govt’s men’s healthy strategy (19:55-24:29)
• Break
• Men’s struggles with body image (24:41-28:53)
• How attention towards appearance is rationalised in masculine terms (28:53-32:00)
• ‘Metrosexuality’ and grooming practices (32:00-34:01)
• Pressures to have a lean and muscular body (34:01-36:18)
• The impact of infertility on men (36:18-41:39)
• Men’s bodies as machines (41:39-42:34)
• What helps men share their experiences of depression (42:34-45:58)
• The use of ‘masculine capital’ to legitimise vulnerability (45:58-47:57)
• The value of peer support (47:57-49:45)
• The influence of the manosphere (49:45-51:40)
• Conclusion (52:12-01:00:30)

More info

• Margaret Wetherell and Nigel Edley
• Andy’s Man Club
• Hybrid masculinity
• Dr Lucy Eldred
• Men’s Sheds UK
• UK Govt's Men’s Health Strategy for England
• Prof Paul Galdas
• Looksmaxxing
• Dr Matthew Hall – ‘Metrosexual masculinities’
• Teddy Boys
• New Romantics
• Dandies
• Pierre Bourdieu

Since 2021, Now and Men has been initiating conversations about changing masculinities and challenging norms. New episodes drop every month - listen wherever you get your podcasts, and share with anyone interested in men's role in gender equality!

Music: 'Now is time', courtesy of Chaps' Choir and Dom Stichbury.

Fathers on low-incomes and young fathers are often portrayed in media and politics as ‘feckless’ and ‘failing’. Father absence is blamed for a wide range of social problems, including crime, antisocial behaviour, and poor educational outcomes. These discourses have intensified in the UK in recent months with renewed assertions about a ‘crisis of masculinity’. However, Professor Anna Tarrant’s research over many years demonstrates that most fathers, including those who are young or experiencing poverty, very much want to care for their children. Yet they face numerous structural obstacles in doing so, such as a lack of secure jobs, suitable housing, or welfare support, and being sidelined by services who may see them as inherently ‘risky’. Young fathers in particular (as with young mothers) are frequently presented as a ‘social problem’. 

Anna’s research challenges these unhelpful stereotypes, shining a light on the ways in which many young men and working-class fathers (as well as grandfathers, uncles, brothers, and other family members) are engaging in love and caregiving, with transformative impacts on them, their children, and their partners. She discusses what changes need to happen for policies and services to become more ‘father-inclusive’ without undermining vital support for mothers, and why this is good for gender equality and for society as a whole. 

Anna Tarrant is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Lincoln (UK), a UKRI (UK Research and Innovation) Future Leaders Fellow, and Director of the Centre for Innovation in Fatherhood and Family Research. She is currently the Director of the UKRI-funded Future Leaders Fellowship study, 'Following Young Fathers Further'. She has written three books: 

• The Dynamics of Young Fatherhood (with Bren Neale, Policy Press, 2024)
• Men, Families and Poverty (with Kahryn Hughes, Palgrave Macmillan, 2023)
• Fathering and Poverty: Uncovering Men's Family Participation in Low Income Families (Policy Press, 2021)
• Follow Anna on LinkedIn
• Anna is also the Director of the Father-Inclusion Hub

She is also co-editor, with Linzi Ladlow and Laura Way, of the book ‘Men and Welfare’ (Routledge, 2022), in which Sandy and Stephen have a chapter on ‘Men, work, and care in the UK in the wake of COVID-19’.

Episode timeline

• Intro
• Notions of a ‘crisis of masculinity’ due to fatherlessness (02:59-08:17)
• Obstacles low-income fathers face (08:17-11:12)
• Lack of housing (11:12-13:21)
• Why young fathers are constructed as a ‘social problem’ (13:21-17:27)
• Barriers to services engaging with fathers (17:27-22:12)
• Break 
• How gender norms influence societal perceptions of fathers (22:22-25:10)
• Working with fathers who have been abusive (25:10-28:50)
• What a father-inclusive approach looks like (28:50-34:19)
• Policy change to support active fatherhood (34:19-41:38)
• Anna’s early research on grandfathers (41:38-48:28)
• The personal dynamics of research (48:28-51:22)
• Conclusion (51:22-59:22)

More info

• Prof Laura King’s research on the social history of fatherhood in the UK
• For Baby’s Sake
• Caring Dads
• Young Dads’ Collective
• North East Young Dads and Lads
• DigiDad
• International Network on Leave Policies & Research
• ‘The Vegetarian’ by Han Kang

Music: 'Now is time', courtesy of Chaps' Choir and Dom Stichbury.