Man Enough to Care: Intersections of Masculinities, Care, and Aging

TL;DR

This study examines how men in nursing in the Czech Republic navigate masculinity and aging, finding two contrasting approaches to care and gender roles.

Contribution

The study expands the concept of caring masculinities by integrating aging and shows care as a universal human skill, not a gendered role.

Findings

Men in nursing use two strategies: adapting hegemonic masculinity or re-masculinizing care through emotional openness.

Physical strength is a source of legitimacy for younger men but becomes a vulnerability with age.

Care is conceptualized as a universal skill, challenging traditional gendered roles in caregiving.

Abstract

This study explores the intersection of masculinities, care, and aging through in‐depth interviews with 12 men employed in nursing in the Czech Republic. Using a qualitative design grounded in inductive grounded theory, data were transcribed verbatim and analyzed through thematic analysis in ATLAS.ti, following COREQ guidelines. The analysis identified two contrasting strategies of performing masculinity within a feminized profession: the adaptation of hegemonic masculinity through the incorporation of caring elements, and the re‐masculinization of care through relationality, emotional openness, and the rejection of dominance. The findings also show that physical strength operates as an ambivalent resource—granting younger men legitimacy and status while becoming a source of vulnerability with age. By conceptualizing care as a universal human skill rather than a gendered role, the study contributes to critical research on men and masculinities. It expands the framework of caring masculinities by integrating the perspective of aging. Men in nursing thus appear “man enough to care,” while their practices both reinforce and challenge the gender order.

The number of men entering the nursing profession is increasing, raising questions about male caregiving. This study shows that care is not inherently tied to a specific gender role but represents a universal human skill.Men in nursing employ two contrasting strategies: one based on dominance, physical strength, and distancing from the feminine characteristics of the profession; the other on emotional sensitivity, relationality, and non‐dominant forms of masculinity.The intersection of aging and masculinity in the healthcare profession reveals both vulnerabilities and structural privileges, reinforcing the need to examine gender hierarchies in caregiving professions critically.

The number of men entering the nursing profession is increasing, raising questions about male caregiving. This study shows that care is not inherently tied to a specific gender role but represents a universal human skill.

Men in nursing employ two contrasting strategies: one based on dominance, physical strength, and distancing from the feminine characteristics of the profession; the other on emotional sensitivity, relationality, and non‐dominant forms of masculinity.

The intersection of aging and masculinity in the healthcare profession reveals both vulnerabilities and structural privileges, reinforcing the need to examine gender hierarchies in caregiving professions critically.