The construction and enactment of diversity amongst older males involved with Community Men's Sheds: an intersectional approach

<p dir="ltr">This thesis will address the contradictions in how the Men’s Shed movement, its governing body, and other stakeholders image ‘Shedders’. The mission statement of the Australian Men’s Shed Association (AMSA) – the umbrella organisation for 1000+ Sheds in Australia -states that “Men’s Sheds” is for “all men”(AMSA, 2017). Yet the <i>Australian National Men’s Health Policy 2010 </i>(FDHA policy) (Ageing, 2010) has come to use Community Men’s Sheds (CMS) as a way of reaching what the policy described as a problematic cohort of “ageing,” “hard to reach,” and “socio-economically disadvantaged” men. </p><p dir="ltr">This contradiction between Sheds as spaces for ‘all men' or hard-to-reach ‘disadvantaged ageing men points towards the importance of diversity and homogeneity; a key but rarely discussed element of CMS. This thesis is interested in Shedders' lived experiences of feeling connected and included. However, it also seeks to explore inclusionary and exclusionary mechanisms that may come into play within Sheds. The investigation considers how power plays out in these spaces, informed by underlying narratives and discursive responses. This thesis draws on the concept of intersectionality to offer a nuanced account of the ways systems interact to create multiple forms of advantage and disadvantage based on class, age, disability, ethnicity, experiences, and sexuality, producing a diversity of masculinities. </p><p dir="ltr">A key source of information is the results of thirty-nine semi-structured interviews with people who are members of Men’s Sheds. However, I will argue that prevailing discourses, policies, institutions, and structures shape Shedders' perspectives, understandings, and practices. Consequently, analysis of policy documents and popular discourses around ageing, masculinity, health, and space is another critical element of this thesis. This thesis explores the intersecting discourses that frame enactments of diversity within CMS and interrogates interlocking practices that shape the way inclusion and exclusion play out. Drawing on intersectionality offers a means of examining the articulations and intersectionality of masculinity, life stage, and the effects of ageing. Through empirical research, I explore how Shedders experience the spaces of Sheds as inclusive or exclusive in many ways, shaped by their responses to the systems that inform their current identity, work history, lived experience of ageing, cultural differences, and health. </p><p dir="ltr">The project involved thirty-nine semi-structured interviews conducted in six Sheds in Greater Sydney. In each Shed, interviews included members of the management and general membership ‘Shedders’. In addition, I completed interviews with two AMSA officials. They provided an AMSA view of the relationship between the umbrella organisation and CMS. Both interviewees were members of Sheds and represented Sheds in regional NSW and offered thoughts on their local practices. </p><p dir="ltr">NVIVO qualitative data analysis software was employed in the analysis. I place the analysis of interviews alongside that of policy documents. I analysed the FDHA policy, the online AMSA document of Governance and its written Constitution, and the governing documents of The Constitution and the Code of Conduct for Hornsby Men’s Shed (Incorporated, 2012, Shed, 2023) – exemplar documents for CMS. This combination of the analysis of written documents of rules and interviews informs the interrogation of the intersecting narratives underpinning the construction of ageing and masculinities and enactments of inclusion and exclusion in CMS. </p><p dir="ltr">This thesis examines the intersecting effects of systems of power constructed through political policy decisions, cultural and social discourses informing normative thinking, and the lived experiences of Shedders. It aims to draw on qualitative research to offer exploratory but nuanced insights into the importance and impact of a wide range of factors involved in enacting diversity among ageing men who are Shedders.</p>