“Quando eu era criança, me disseram que eu era homem”: a perspectiva de homens sobre a construção das masculinidades

Abstract

Current data indicate that men are the biggest victims of homicide and suicide in our society. Based on this information and realizing that there is a lack of studies about masculinities to try to cope with the rising suffering of this population, this final paper aimed to understand men’s perspective about masculinity construction. Therefore, it was used a qualitative approach, and data collection was conducted by an online questionnaire that was composed by three stages and which became available through social media. This questionnaire could be accessed only after the participants read and accept the Informed Consent Form. After data collection, a content analysis was performed, maintaining the anonymity of the participants. It was observed that most of the participants were able to express their perceptions about masculinity and its construction, indicating elements that helped us to understand how it manifests in contemporary times and how men considered as models of masculinity inspired the processes of its construction. It is believed that this research has contributed to promote the debate about gender, seeking to understand the issues surrounding masculinities and promoting a reflection about how this construction affects men's lives.