"How might we foster healthy masculinity in men while building a gender equitable future?"
In the 1980’s, Paul Kivel of the Oakland Men’s Project coined the term “the man box” to describe rigid characteristics of masculinity. Some of these include being in control, acting tough, being desirable to women, hypersexuality, heterosexuality and homophobia, aggression and self-sufficiency. In light of the #MeToo movement, these behaviors have become termed as toxic masculinity, however many forego the term toxic masculinity, opting to describe this as unhealthy masculinity, traditional masculinity and being in the man box.
ROLE
Research
Facilitation
Journey Mapping
Co-creation
Strategy
Prototyping
Co-Design
Creative Direction
Testing
Community Partnerships
DURATION
11 Months
CHALLENGE
Equimundo, a global organization researching masculinity and gender justice, conducted an international study building off of Kivel’s man box framework to understand the experiences of men inside and outside of the box. The study further revealed dramatically different experiences between men who were trying to live up to traditional masculinity standards and those who weren’t. For example, the study found that 70% of men in the united states reported that they had been told to “act like a man.”
The study further revealed dramatically different experiences between men who were trying to live up to traditional masculinity and those who didn't.
In the United States, for example, 81% of men in the box said that they had bullied someone compared to 23% of men outside of the box. 71% of men inside of the box reported to have sexual harassed, whereas men outside of the box reported at a rate of 7%. Lastly, 56% of men in the box reported to have had suicidal thoughts compared to 19%
LINES OF INQUIRY
FIRST INQUIRY
Inquiry at outset:
For men that have moved outside of the 'Man Box', how were they able to break rigid gender norm?
SECOND INQUIRY
Deeper line of Inquiry:
What are the opportunities and motivating factors for men to reflect on traditional masculinity and be inspired to move outside of 'the box'?
THIRD INQUIRY
Refining the Inquiry: How might we co-create a design solution that promotes healthy forms of masculinity that disrupts the 'man box' while supporting gender equity?
INSIGHTS
Men want more opportunities to connect with other men
“It’s so hard to make friends with other men. We need to have something to do. In high school we had things like sports that brought us together- an activity. They didn’t actually bring us closer together. Maybe that's why we (men) become more and more isolated after high school.”
Men want a space where they feel safe to be vulnerable by sharing their questions, thoughts and feelings
“I’m lucky, I have a few core group of male friends that we’re able to get deep with each other, but I know so many men that don’t have their group of friends or don’t have that group they’re able to be vulnerable with.”
Men want a dedicated place, like a group, that is easy to access that they can refer other men to the platform
“There are times when I wonder, was I being sexist? This group is so important because I have a place to talk about issues and have the support of you all to question myself.”
OPPORTUNITY:
Healthy Masculinity Forum
The Healthy Masculinity Forum is a dedicated website to building an online and offline community. The forum fosters men’s desire to connect with other men and be supported through questioning and discussions. The forum is also a dedicated platform that they can participate and refer others, at any time and from any place.
Unlike third party sites, like Facebook or Reddit, the Healthy Masculinity Forum is dictated by its participants from design, functionality, management and moderation. Secondly, unlike reddit, we wanted to create a conversation platform that focused on healthy masculinity that includes easy to navigate and search topics.
Having a standalone site is for complete community ownership and a design that reflects its members.
DELIVERABLES
Online Forum
MeetUp Handbook
Forum Video Ad
CO-DESIGN
Positive Masculinity MeetUp
Feminist Masculinities
Call To Men
Auxilary Interviews
PROCESS
Initial Ideation Sessions
Group Facilitation
User Testing Using Zoom
