University of Wollongong Thesis Collections University of Wollongong Thesis Collection University of Wollongong Year Men on the move: the politics of the men’s movement Spase Karoski University of Wollongong Karoski, Spase, Men on the move: the politics of the men’s movement, PhD thesis, School of Social Sciences, Media and Communication, University of Wollongong, 2007. http://ro.uow.edu.au/theses/687 This paper is posted at Research Online. http://ro.uow.edu.au/theses/687 - i - MEN ON THE MOVE: THE POLITICS OF THE MEN'S MOVEMENT A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY from UNIVERSITY OF WOLLONGONG by SPASE KAROSKI BA; BSW; MA; GRAD-DIP-ED SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, MEDIA AND COMMUNICATION 2007 - ii - CERTIFICATION: I, Spase Karoski, declare that this thesis, submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the award of Doctor of Philosophy, in the School of Social Sciences, Media and Communication, University of Wollongong, is wholly my own work unless otherwise referenced or acknowledged. The document has not been submitted for qualifications at any other academic institution. Spase Karoski 2 April 2007 - iii - Table of Contents CERTIFICATION ………………………………………………………………………………… ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ………………………………………………………………………… iii SPECIAL NAMES AND ABBREVIATIONS ……………………………………….………... xi ABSTRACT ………………………………………………………………………………………. xiii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ……………………………………………………………………….. xv PART 1: SETTING THE SCENE - WHAT IS THE MEN'S MOVEMENT ABOUT? …….. 1 CHAPTER ONE: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY …………………………………. 2 Introduction …………………………………………………….…………………….. 2 The Focus of This Study ……………………………………….……………………………... 4 Challenges Experienced By Men …………………………………………………...……. 5 Discrepancy between Activism and the Academy ………………………..…………... 7 An Insider’s Involvement in the Men's Movement ……………………...……….…..... 8 CHAPTER TWO: METHODOLOGY………………………………………………………….. 12 Introduction …………….…………………………….………………………….……………… 12 Ethnographic Methodology ……………………………………………………..……………. 13 Ethnographic Fieldwork: An Evolving Approach ………………………………...…… 14 The Insider Outsider Dichotomy ……………………………………………………….. 15 The Research Process ………………………………………………………………………… 18 Pre Fieldwork Research ………………………………………………………………………. 18 Literature Review …… ……………………………………………………………………… 18 Textual Document Analysis ……………………………………………………………….. 18 Determining the Research Context ………………………………………………………. 19 The Fieldwork Process ………………………………………………………………………... 20 Determining the Research Sample ………………………………………………………. 20 Locating Research Participants – A Personal Journey ……………………………… 21 Sydney Men's Festival as a Research Venue ………………………………………... 21 Interviews ………………………………………….…………………………………………. 23 Participant Observation and Focus Groups …………………………………………… 24 This and That’, ‘That’ and Other Discussion Groups ………………………………… 25 Post Fieldwork Data Analysis ……………………………………….………………………. 26 Constraints of the Ethnographic Research Methods Used …………………………. 27 Sustaining Attention during Long Interviews …………………………………………… 27 Issues of Disclosure and Personal Bias …………..…………………………………… 27 Ownership of Ideas ……….……………………………………………………………… 28 Summary and Conclusion …….……………………………………………………………… 28 - iv - CHAPTER THREE: THE MEN'S MOVEMENT …………………………………………….. 30 Introduction …………… …………………………….…………………………………………. 30 The Evolution of the Men’s Movement …………………………….……………………….. 31 Genesis of the Men's Movement ………………………………………………...……….. 31 The Emergence of Contemporary Men's Movements ………………………………… 35 The Evolution of the Men's Movement in Australia ……………………………..……. 38 Contemporary Men's Movements ………………..……………………………………...….. 42 The Profeminist Men's Movement ………………….……………………...…………….. 44 Critique of the Profeminist Men's Movement …………………………………………. 47 The Father Rights Movement …………………….………………………..……………... 47 Family Separations ………………………………………………………………………. 49 Building a National Organisation ……………………………………………………….. 49 Men and Relationships – a Christian Perspective ……………..……………………… 50 Critique of the Fathers' Rights Men's Movement …………………..…………………. 50 The Mythopoetic Men’s Movement ………………………………………………………. 51 The Emergence of the Mythopoetic Men's Movement …………..…………………… 51 What Is the Men's Movement About? …………………………………………………. 54 The Men’s Movement as a Subculture ………………………………………………... 54 Initiation of Boys into Manhood ………………………………………………………… 57 Critique of the Mythopoetic Men's Movement ………………………………………… 58 The Inclusive Men’s Movement Groups ……………………………………………….. 59 An Inclusive View of the Men's Movement ………….………………………………… 61 The Benefit of Men's Movement Work …………….…………………………………… 63 Men’s Movement Leadership …………….……………………………………………... 64 Alliances with Women ……………….…………………………………………………… 65 The Men’s Movement as a Subculture …………………………..…………………….. 66 Critique of the Inclusive Men's Movement ……………………………………………… 67 Summary and Conclusion ……………………………….…………………………………… 68 CHAPTER FOUR: THE MEN'S MOVEMENT’S UNDERSTANDING OF MASCULINITY 69 Introduction ………………….…………………………….……………………………………. 69 The Masculinity Discourse …………………………………………….……………………... 69 The Biological Argument …………………………………………….……………….….. 71 Social Constructionism ………………………………………………………………….. 72 Hegemonic Masculinity: a Problematic Social Construction …………………….…. 75 Masculinity through the eyes of the Men’s Movement ………………………………… 78 The Profeminist Social Constructivists’ Masculinity: Damaging to Women …….. 78 The Fathers' Rights’ Essential Masculinity: Determined by God …………………... 79 The Mythopoetic Masculinity: Integrated Manhood …………………………………... 80 The Inclusive Masculinity: Private Experiences have Social Value ……………….. 81 Summary and Conclusions ………………………………………………………………….. 82 - v - CHAPTER FIVE: THE COSTS OF AND CRISIS OF MASCULINITY ……………………. 84 Introduction …………………………………………………….………………………………. 84 The Deceptive Benefits of Hegemonic Masculinity …………………………………….. 84 The Cost of Masculinity to Men ………………………………………………………….. 86 Is There a Crisis in Masculinity? …………………………………………………………… 87 The ‘No Crisis’ Argument ………………………………………………………………….. 87 Some Men Are in Crisis But Not All Men ………………………………………………. 90 Masculinity Crisis - a Working-Class Issue …………………….……………………… 92 Yes, Masculinity is in Crisis ………………………………………………………………. 94 Evidence of a Masculinity Crisis ……………………………………………………….. 94 Masculinity Crisis Amongst Men in Power …………………………………………… 97 The Masculinity Crisis from the Men's Movement Perspectives …………………….. 99 The Profeminist Argument: There is No Masculinity Crisis ………………………… 100 The Fathers Rights Arguments: Men are in Crisis From the Boardroom to the Bedroom …………………………………………………............................................ 101 The Mythopoetic Conception of a Masculinity Crisis: A Crisis of Modernity ……. 103 The Inclusive View of a Masculinity Crisis: Adherence to the Ideology of Success ……………………………………………………….………………………………. 105 Summary and Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………. 107 PART 2: MEN’S ISSUES - THE FACTORS THAT MOTIVATE MEN TO JOIN THE MEN'S MOVEMENT ……………………………………………………………………………. 110 CHAPTER SIX: MEN AS BREADWINNERS ………………………………………………… 111 Introduction …………………………………………………………………………………….. 111 The Development and Consequences of the Breadwinner Role ……………………… 111 Challenges to the Breadwinner Role ……………………………………………………….. 115 The Men's Movement and the Breadwinner Role ………………………………………… 118 The Fathers’ Rights View of Breadwinning: ‘We are Being Done Over’…………. 118 Profeminist Men’s View of the Breadwinner: ‘Taking the Floor from under Them’ ………………………………………………………………………………………… 121 The Mythopoetics and Breadwinning: Natural Predisposition and Complementarity …………………………………………………………………………….. 124 The Inclusives’ View of Breadwinning: ‘Slaying the Dragon’ ……………………….. 126 Summary and Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………. 129 CHAPTER SEVEN: FATHERING ……………………………………………………………... 133 Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………………... 133 Social Attitudes Towards Fathering ………………………………………………………… 133 Fathering and Patterns of Relationship Change …………………………………………. 137 The Sperm Issue ……………………………………………………………………………….. 138 The Men's Movement Perspectives on Fathering ……………………………………….. 142 The Fathers' Rights View of Fathering: Fathering Denied …………..……………… 142 - vi - Impacts of Cultural Change on Fathering ……………………………………………… 143 Impact of Separation and Divorce on Men as Fathers ……………………………….. 144 New Partner Influences on Fathering ………………………………………………….. 146 Profeminist Views of Fathering: Driven by Conservative Political Agenda …….. 147 Mythopoetic Views of Fathering: Responsibility and Reconciliation ……………... 150 The Inclusives View of Fathering: Early Involvement and Satisfaction …………... 155 Summary and Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………. 158 CHAPTER EIGHT: MEN AND FAMILY LAW ……………………………………………….. 162 Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………………... 162 The Family Law Act and Fathering ………………………………………………………….. 163 Specific Family Law Issues for Men ………………………………………………………... 164 Fathers Rights Groups and Family Law: ‘A Farce’ …………………..………………. 167 Mythopoetic Group and Family Law: ‘Judges as Protective Patriarchs’……..…... 171 Profeminist View of Family Law: ‘Fathers Avoid their Obligations to Children’…. 172 The Inclusives’ View of Family Law: ‘Men Have Genuine Grievances’ …………… 173 Summary and Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………. 176 CHAPTER NINE: RAISING BOYS ……………………………………………………………. 179 Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………………... 179 Are Boys in Trouble? ………………………………………………………………………….. 180 Explaining Underperformance by Boys ……………………………………………………. 182 Gender Educational Policy ……………………………………………………………….