The history of men has taught us that there has only been one form of ‘man’: dominant and
powerful. The role of a man in society w
as once clear, coherent, and secure. Today, being a
man has beco
me more complex and confusing.
Considerable international research on gender
engages with masculinities, masculinities in schools and men in non
-
traditional occupations.
What is missing from
the debate on masculinities is an account that connects the voices of men
with their individual daily experiences. This
paper
det
ails a four
-
year study of eleven
male
Irish primary
school
teachers
, of which seven are included here,
and evaluates the rela
tionship
between men, care and work. It examines
diverse understandings of care, explores the public
and private worlds of masculinities and evaluates how various social relations are charged with
formal and informal meanings of masculinities