Men Head Doctors in Czech Maternity Wards: Condemned to Rule?
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| Year of publication | 2014 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
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| Description | The presentation offers a conceptual framework and empirical example targeted on hegemonic forms of masculinity in the hospital setting. The prevailing dominance of men and mechanisms of its reproduction receive a rather marginal attention of policymakers as well as researchers in comparison to feminisation of the healthcare and medical profession as such (at least in the contexts of a post socialist country such as the Czech Republic). My presentation seeks to comprehend a rather general ambiguity I have encountered in my research focusing on diverse aspects of men and masculinities from a critical perspective: men as a group continue to hold dominant position in the Czech society, but this position does not necessarily assure a satisfying life experience. I have explored this issue in analyses of in-depth interviews with Czech obstetricians and gynaecologists and recordings of several thematic public debates where the physicians have presented their experiences. The concept of hegemonic masculinity, developed within the field of Critical studies on men and masculinities (CSMM), provides a useful analytical handle for understanding this phenomenon. The framework of hegemonic masculinity takes into consideration and explores the complicated relationship between actor and structure, and it understands social structures as gendered and patriarchal. It helps us explore the mechanisms that bring men to dominance and to understand why structural masculine domination can be perceived by individual men as involuntary and imposed. |
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