Abstract

Rising suicides among young men; educational underachievement among boys; male detachment from the labour market - in the UK statistics such as these are regularily used to support the argument that men are in crisis. But overall trends still show that women are the majority of those living in poverty (as thery are internationally). While talk of a crisis mae be overdone, there are real concerns regarding te position of those groups of men in the UK at the sharp end of economic and social change. In this context, to overlook what is happening to men could undermine attempts to improve gender relations. How mens lives ca and must be transformed so that they can work with women against poverty and for gender equality is the starting point of this book. Men, Masculinities, and Poverty in the UK was commissioned by Oxfams UK Poverty Prgramme to explore how changing economic, social and political circumstances are affecting gender relations. Sandy Ruxton draws upon a review of the relevant literature and the experience of a wide range of community-based groups across the UK, in particular those working in the fields of employment training, men's health, gender-based violence, and fatherhood. He highlights the importance of using a coherent gender analysis to assess the nature, scope, and effectiveness of work with men, and concludes with recommendations for developing work with men in the UK in order to address poverty and gender inequality.