A man's role as a head, a burden or a blessing? An exploration of the African and Christian perspectives on the conventional role of a male person
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 13115019 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jacob Mokhutso (0000-0002-1757-6829, University of the Free State, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Publication date | 2021-10-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Pharos Journal of Theology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2414-3324 • E-ISSN: 2414-3324 |
| Publisher | FrIcAjOuRnAlS (PUBLISHER • ZA) |
| DOI | 10.46222/pharosjot.102034 |
| OpenAlex | W3207537253 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 13 |
In 2020, during a strict lockdown in South Africa, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the country experienced an increase in gender-based violence (hereafter, GBV) cases perpetrated by men. Similar incidents occurred in August 2021, declared a women’s month in South Africa, as a tribute to the over 20,000 women who marched to the Union Buildings on 9 August 1956 to protest against the extension of pass laws. Many scholars have tried to make sense of this, giving rise to diverse views about the causes of this phenomenon. Other scholars argue that men behave in this manner because of the high unemployment rate, as many businesses are struggling, due to a loss of revenue, as a result of COVID-19, and the government’s lockdown measures. Other perspectives from different quarters indicate that GBV is due to stress and many other mental conditions, as a South African dwindling economy has impacted on families and caused losses of jobs and businesses closing. This is not the first time that the country has experienced these high cases of GBV. Over the years, men have and continue to commit heinous crimes and abuse each other, as well as women and children. This raises a question: Is this violence not a reaction by men to their role as heads of families and their socialisation by the African culture and Christian religion that teaches men to be heads of their households? Secondary data methods were applied in this research. The research found that men are under enormous pressure to meet society’s expectations of them. That pressure has turned them into monsters who are not coping and instead kill themselves, their loved ones, or resort to violence
Blessing · Commit · Criminology · Development economics · Economic growth · Economics · Government (linguistics · Political science · Sociology · Tribute · Unemployment · Gender Studies · History · International Human Rights and Reproductive Law · Law
The Laos tou Theou – an orthodox view of the ‘people of God’
Gender, Religion and Patriarchy
The Church and Gender Equality in Africa
‘For the husband is the head of the wife’
Masculinity and Help-Seeking Among Men With Depression
Male Headship as Male Agency
Male Headship as Male Agency
Whose Voices? Whose Choices? Reflections on Gender and Participatory Development
Understanding how men experience, express and cope with mental distress
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |