Masculinity and Asian Men’s Health: a Critical Review

Abstract

Literature demonstrated significant consequences to men’s health outcome secondary to their adherence
to certain masculine behaviour and norm. In the West, the norms surrounding masculinity includes
the idea that men should be healthy, strong, and self-sufficient. Western studies revealed that men
adherence to this ideology of masculinity reflects their reluctance to seek for health help resulting in
their poor health service utilisation and poor health outcomes. However, it is posited that masculinity
is not the declaration of one’s true self, but it is rather socially constructed, rather fluid in its nature and
varies across different context. Therefore, this concept of masculinity needs to be carefully analysed
and examine whether it also fits for every man coming from other parts of the world. This paper looks
at this issue and questioned its applicability for men living outside the Global North, which has been
overlooked.