“Masculinity Matters”: Professor Bob Pease on Masculinity, Patriarchy and Privilege

Conversations for a Brave New World is produced by the Gender Network (feminist, gender and queer research and practice) at CSU. We bring global, national and local issues about gender to the Central West. Each month, we share knowledge, scholarship and research about gender from the diverse perspectives of experts and scholars.

This episode is the first in a new three-part series, Masculinity Matters. This month, Donna is joined by leading masculinity scholar Professor Bob Pease to examine what we know about masculinities and what is meant by terms like the “crisis in masculinity” and “toxic masculinity.” Drawing on decades of critical research and activism, Bob explores how patriarchal norms privilege men, encourage male dominance, and contribute to men’s violence toward others. The conversation also considers how class, race, and rurality intersect to shape masculine identities, and critiques the limitations of responses that fail to confront the deeper power structures embedded in a patriarchal system. A vital discussion for anyone committed to ending gender-based violence and transforming masculinities.