Masculinity Performances: Construction, Negotiation and Gendered Practices of Boys in a School Setting.

Abstract

Masculinity performances including construction and negotiation among boys in Malawi continue to shape behaviors, norms and practices in schools and community as a whole. This study seeks to examine how boys learn, produce and reproduce masculinities and gendered practices in a school setting in Lilongwe, Malawi while drawing on Social Role Theory and the concept of Hegemonic Masculinity. It places peer influence, teachers and the home as the main drivers of masculine practices. The study will engage male students in a secondary school and teachers through semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with thematic analysis of data. It assumes but also questions a view that peers will present as the strongest driver of masculine practices with teachers being the agents that reinforce or challenge norms. It follows the work of Raewyn Connell and other scholars within Critical Studies of Men and Masculinities by identifying one form of masculinity that is hegemonic which in this case leads to harmful practices. The study is expected to contribute towards a deeper understanding of how boys’ masculinities are shaped and to inform effective strategies and interventions that promote healthier/positive masculinities and better gender norms in Malawi towards positive gender equality outcomes.