“Men Behaving Badly”: Patriarchy, Public Policy and Health Inequalities

Abstract

Gender is under-represented in the literature on health inequalities and social determinants of health; the latter are in turn under-represented in the literature on gender in general and on men and masculinities in particular. Furthermore, research and policy on gender and health frequently individualise issues of inequality, neglecting structural and systemic root causes of differential rates and experiences of morbidity and mortality. This article highlights the patriarchal social structures, attitudes and practices that, we argue, are common antecedents of these inequalities and suggests ways in which research and public policy can begin to address them. Patriarchy and hegemonic masculinity must be challenged as part of a wider set of social structural determinants of health.