Covid 19 coronavirus: why some men refuse to wear masks

By RNZ

How often throughout the pandemic have you seen a man walking down the street with a surgical mask pulled down so that it hugged his chin? Multiple surveys have shown that men are less likely to wear a mask to slow down the transmission of Covid-19, but why? American psychology professor James Mahalik of Boston College is part of a team that has investigated the topic and spoke to Sunday Morning about what they found.

Mahalik says his study showed that American men had more negative reactions to wearing masks, especially among men who conform more to traditional masculine norms.

The issue has been clouded with social and political factors of man in the United States, he says.

“Men have been particularly reluctant to the mask: There were evangelical pastors who were somehow doing this about manhood. A televangelist in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania in late March was talking about implementing health regulations like social distancing, and said that somehow the people who are implementing this ‘castrated’ themselves somehow along the way and didn’t even realize it. “

Previous studies have shown that men who conform to more masculine norms tend to see less benefit in overall health behaviors.

“We already had that, so we thought there might be some links to empathy and trust in science.

Looking at the response from his study group overall, on average, the men surveyed adopted wearing masks and agreed that they were confident in science, but Mahalik says there were more negative reactions to wearing masks across the group. masks and science among men than among women. .

The combined results from the male sample also ranked them as “just a little” in agreement with having empathy for people vulnerable to Covid. And those who were least likely to address health recommendations were more likely to have traditional male characteristics.

“It made me very sad somehow [men] having less empathy for vulnerable people, I thought it was a really disturbing finding. I’m always reluctant to characterize ‘bad men, good women,’ I don’t think that’s particularly helpful, “he says.

“But if we think in terms of how we tend to raise boys and men: little Johnny falls down, scratches his knee, starts crying, they say ‘big boys don’t cry.’ We tend to socialize boys and men not being centered. in emotions. And we also tend to socialize kids, at least in the US, to be more independent. There’s nothing wrong with independence and self-reliance, but disconnecting is different than that. “

Mahalik says that a school of psychology, called precarious manhood theory, says that “manhood is a status that is difficult to earn and easily lost, they see men constantly vigilant not to lose it.

“This public presentation of the use of masks could be a way of losing face: ‘I do not want others to see me with fear, I do not want others to see me as weak.’

“President Trump says of Biden ‘Have you ever seen a man who likes to wear a mask as much as he does?’ Trump says it probably gives him a sense of security, and by saying that and taking that public stance, Trump is also saying something about how he sees himself and what is important in terms of being a man. “

So how can public health councils better reach men? Mahalik says that men respond especially well to messages that certain behaviors will lead to positive things for those who practice them.

“It is a benefit for my health, for the health of the people I love, do you want to open the economy, clean this up and have jobs come back?

“It would be extremely important to explicitly connect behaviors to benefits: science – we brought people to the moon, the cell phone – remind people of the benefits of science and have confidence in that; thanks for wearing a mask, thanks for social distancing because you’re helping my grandmother, you’re helping my daughter who is immunodeficient … “

Appeal to traditional men, you can appeal to their traditional views on being protectors of the community.

“Things like emotional control, self-reliance, mastery. If we rebuild this and present a very traditional protective role, being a guardian of others, being a protector of individual health and the broader social well-being, that’s a role that it is very much in line with traditional norms. “

Mahalik praised actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, for speaking publicly about the profound effect Covid has had on him and his family when they contracted it. And he would like to see more public health messages from role models that appeal to this group, like macho country singers or hyper-masculine rappers.

– RNZ