Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

This qualitative dataset considered how the performance of masculinity varies not just between different groups of men, but within the same man as he moves between different social environments. The dataset investigated ways in which individual men negotiate their masculine identity as they pass between work and home contexts, and how this changes as men manage transitions in their lives. The research took masculinity as a fluid, contested notion, and explored the ways in which multiple masculinities played out in individuals' lives. Male participants were recruited from three different occupations traditionally stereotyped as more or less feminised: firefighting, hairdressing and estate agency. One research aim was to look at the way men negotiate the expectations and understandings of masculinity associated with their working context, exploring the differences in 'being a man' at work and at home. The researchers were interested in the transitions in men's lives, and how individuals manage their masculine identity during periods of change. Participants were drawn from three age cohorts: young men starting out in life, middle-aged men and older men of retirement age. Data-gathering strategies included in-depth qualitative interviews with men of the different age groups within the three occupational categories. Interviews were also conducted with women who know the men well - as friends, wives, partners or family members. These interviews give insight into how men 'do' masculinity at home and at work, as well as shedding light on the negotiations involved within relationships. Further information can be found at the project's ESRC funding web page.

Main Topics:

Masculinity, identity, transition, work, home.

Purposive selection/case studies

Face-to-face interview