1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«The aim of this paper is to highlight adversity faced by farming men as a serious social issue and to offer new perspectives on social and individual responses to that adversity through a response-based and gender-transformative analysis.» (p. 64)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
L’échantillon est composé de 32 agriculteurs qui proviennent de régions rurales du Québec.

Instruments :
Guide d’entretien semi-directif

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse de contenu

3. Résumé

The study «suggests that farming men are part of the global change in masculine identities and practices. Traditional masculinity seems to be losing its legitimacy to impose its standards on farming men, as with other groups […]. Some results suggest change is happening through fathering practices, similar to other rural Canadian and Norwegian studies in which traditional masculinity is challenged by alternative or progressive configurations of practice […]. Gender transformation is salient in the individual responses to adversity by which farming men departed from practices aligned with traditional masculinity (i.e., denial, stoicism, social withdrawal) and chose to open up about their emotions and connect with family, friends, and professionals.» (p. 62-63) Moreover, concerning family and parenting norms, socialization «based on traditional masculinity trains men to stay away from household chores. But this trend is countered by new generational ideals and by farmers’ emphasis on being autonomous and resourceful. In regard to emotional disclosure, there was consensus among participants that complete stoicism is not ideal and may lead to violent outbursts. Participants assumed men should be able to control whether they disclose their emotions or not depending on the situation. Some participants openly demonstrated resistance towards traditional masculinity as embodied by other farmers, their fathers, and, more generally, men from previous generations.» (p. 56)