A continuum of caring masculinities: evidence from Khmer men’s childcare practices

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article aims to contribute to the debate about the link between ‘hegemonic masculinity’ and childcare practices in conceptions of ‘caring masculinities’. It conceptualises ‘caring masculinities’ along a continuum that encompasses ‘less-caring’ and ‘more-caring’ practices at each extreme, both shaped by men's perceptions of their intersecting identities as husbands and fathers. This draws on the concept of ‘caring’ in feminist moral philosophy and on sociological approaches to ‘masculinity’ to analyse empirical evidence of Khmer men’s childcare practices in Cambodia. The development of a continuum of caring masculinity enables us to investigate the extent to which, and the way in which, men are engaged in ‘direct’ and ‘indirect’ care in their childcare practices, alongside their breadwinning roles. The empirical data are based on qualitative, in-depth interviews with 26 young fathers and 26 young mothers who have at least one young child aged six or younger and who reside in either urban or rural settings in Cambodia.