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Mat, måltider och maskuliniteter

Year: 2012
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Background What we eat and don‟t eat, take responsibility for and don‟t take responsibility for, is constructed by and constructs us. Historically, responsibility for food, meals and housework has been dominated by women. However, it appears that this could to be changing to some extent. Objective To understand how the ideas and values about food, meals and housework are constructed by, and constructs, a group of young Swedish men. Methods and materials In-depth interviews with nine young men, 17 to 18 years old. Theoretical starting points were social constructionism and masculinities. Results The study showed that the young men ate in a way that has shown to be typically 'manly' foods such as meat and starch, which constructed the 'proper food'. Food was eaten to become full and have energy. Participants overall showed scant interest in housework. However, they deviated slightly from previous research in their construction of the value of vegetables. They expressed a liberal approach to food and cooking as a matter of people being able to do what they want without influence of gender. They expressed a construction of equality and shared responsibility as something obvious but nothing they focused on. Housework was something they planned to take more responsibility for in their own future homes. Food also had a social aspect and was eaten with family and friends, with a greater emotional value for the family meal. Conclusion The interpretation did not show a construction of hegemonic masculinity, nor an idealized hegemonic masculinity. Rather, a view of gender roles as something that has always existed, that probably mostly looks the same today, but which also has changed. However, the question remains for whether these men expressed a complicit masculinity or a new hegemony.
Language: Swedish
Subfield: Gender Studies
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W635424758
Cites: 50
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Related to: 10