Hegemonic masculinity, structural violence, and health inequalities

There is persuasive evidence that the reduction of health inequalities can only be achieved by addressing their fundamental causes, as opposed to the diseases through which they are expressed at any given time, or the immediate precursors of those diseases (Phelan et al 2004). This explains both the persistence of health inequalities over time and the failure of policies which only target their immediate manifestations to have any lasting impact. Fundamental causes of health inequalities are thought to include: inequalities in power; money; prestige; knowledge and beneficial social connections (Link et al, 1995). The aim of this discussion is to consider the impact of hegemonic masculinity in determining unequal social and political relations which are deleterious to the health of both men and women on a global scale.