Volume 15, Issue 3 e12861
ARTICLE

Men, masculinities, and gender-based violence: The broadening scope of recent research

Tal Peretz

Corresponding Author

Tal Peretz

Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, USA

Correspondence

Tal Peretz, Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work, 7048 Haley Center, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849-5049, USA.

Email: [email protected]

Search for more papers by this author
Chris M. Vidmar

Chris M. Vidmar

Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Search for more papers by this author
First published: 19 February 2021
Citations: 5

Abstract

Men's relationships to gender-based violence (GBV) have long been an area of sociological inquiry, but until recently men have primarily been framed as perpetrators of violence against women. More recently, research on men and GBV has broadened to include studying men as victims/survivors, as investigators and law enforcement officers, as passive or active bystanders, and as allies in working to address this social problem. We review this research in an effort to bridge these divergent bodies of work; we identify methodological trends and gaps in existing research, make recommendations for improved theoretical and methodological robustness, and suggest that research perspectives on men and GBV have shifted over time as wider understandings of gender and masculinities become more hopeful and more inclusive. While we see optimism and promise in new directions of GBV research, we urge ongoing research to retain the wisdoms and critical perspectives that marked the beginnings of GBV inquiry.