Man Enough to Care: Intersections of Masculinities, Care, and Aging

This study explores the intersection of masculinities, care, and aging through in-depth interviews with 12 men employed in nursing in the Czech Republic. Using a qualitative design grounded in inductive grounded theory, data were transcribed verbatim and analyzed through thematic analysis in ATLAS.ti, following COREQ guidelines. The analysis identified two contrasting strategies of performing masculinity within a feminized profession: the adaptation of hegemonic masculinity through the incorporation of caring elements, and the re-masculinization of care through relationality, emotional openness, and the rejection of dominance. The findings also show that physical strength operates as an ambivalent resource-granting younger men legitimacy and status while becoming a source of vulnerability with age. By conceptualizing care as a universal human skill rather than a gendered role, the study contributes to critical research on men and masculinities. It expands the framework of caring masculinities by integrating the perspective of aging. Men in nursing thus appear "man enough to care," while their practices both reinforce and challenge the gender order.