Aging masculinities in the countryside: a qualitative investigation of rural Chinese older men

Abstract

Aging brings challenges for masculinity construction affecting older men in the countryside. The investigation of what and how rural older men negotiate their gendered identities in contemporary fast-changing societies contributes to the knowledge of aging masculinities. Taking a life-course perspective, this study explores how a group of rural Chinese older men negotiate masculinities and make sense of their aging lives. Twelve older men in a village located in southwest China participated in this study. We conducted individual semi-structured interviews with the participants and collected their life stories which were audio-recorded, transcribed, and coded following a thematic analysis approach. Analysis of the data suggests that rural Chinese older men created a having/being masculine plot while describing their transitions of family roles from providers to becoming helpers across their life courses. They struggled to maintain a sense of control when facing loss and vulnerability in later life and gendered norms in rural China contributed to their masculinity images. We discussed how the findings of this study, particularly intergenerational relations and narrative temporality in the construction of masculinities in later adulthood, contribute to both the research and practices regarding aging masculinities in rural areas.

Keywords:

• Aging masculinity
• life stories
• narrative temporality
• older men
• rural china
• SDG 5: gender equality

Acknowledgements

We thank the participants for their generosity in sharing their stories. We also want to express gratitude to Dr. Walton-Roberts and the anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments in enhancing the quality of this paper.

Disclosure statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by Yunnan Revitalization Talent Support Program.

Notes on contributors

Yanping Liu

Yanping Liu is associate professor of psychology at Honghe University. He primarily works with rural Chinese people and has published articles on fathering, masculinities, identity, death, and elder abuse in journals including Ageing & Society, Educational Gerontology, Journal of Family Issues, and Death Studies.

Wenyi Zhu

Wenyi Zhu is lecturer at Honghe Health Vocational College and conducts research on sexuality.