Behind the ‘bruised male ego’ – negotiating women ‘pressures’ in the homes during Covid-19 lockdowns

Congolese and Zimbabwean men in focus

Bibliographic Data

ID13114644
AuthorsMartin Mukole (0009-0008-5618-7632, Africa University, corresponding author), Canisius Mwandayi (0000-0002-3896-8346, University of South Africa)
Year2024
Issue105(4)
Publication date2024-07-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePharos Journal of Theology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2414-3324 • E-ISSN: 2414-3324
PublisherFrIcAjOuRnAlS (PUBLISHER • ZA)
DOI10.46222/pharosjot.105.411
OpenAlexW4400248075
LanguageEN
References cited32

The COVID-19 pandemic and the experiences of lockdown measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus led to a range of negative impacts on the mental health of human societies globally. Our societies were characterized by deteriorating mental health, high levels of stress as well as a sharp rise in abusive cases. In most cases of abuse, men have been fingered as culprits behind it all given the eroding of their male ego. Faced with the reality of their inability to provide, most males were stressed up and vented out their frustration on those near them, who in most cases were the vulnerable women and children. While it is indubitably true that women and children have been the most affected groups due to the lockdowns, this has resulted in the neglect of men themselves. In as much as studies have confirmed the violent attitude developed by most men towards women and children in homes during COVID-19 lockdowns, this paper argues that men were also victims in a number of cases due to the pressures coming from women and children to keep providing something on the table despite being barred from attending to their informal/formal jobs due to the imposed COVID-19 restrictions. This paper takes cognizance of the neglect of voices sympathizing with males in the narratives, thus, we argue that behind the ‘bruised male ego’ there is found a woman, hence the woman needs to be talked to as well instead of just seeing her as a victim of abuse in all the cases. The discussion in this paper is largely based on desktop research. This paper sympathizes with the neglected male voices during COVID-19 lockdowns, invites men to voice out their struggles for the wellbeing of their mental health, and invites African society to rethink some of the attributes given to men that condemn them to suffering in the name of masculinity

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 · Criminology · Disease · Id, ego and super-ego · Mental health · Narrative · Neglect · Negotiation · Pandemic · Political science · Psychiatry · Sociology · COVID-19 Pandemic Impacts · Gender Roles and Identity Studies · Gender Studies · Medicine · Migration, Health and Trauma · Psychology · Social Psychology

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access