Men’s experiences in short-term study abroad: masculinity, temporality, and vulnerability

ABSTRACT

This manuscript draws from a naturalistic participant-observation study, focused on Midwestern United States men’s experiences in a short-term study abroad (STSA) programme in Spain, exploring gendered performances during the course. As global student engagement in study abroad programming continues to increase, gender demographics remains relatively unchanged with women participating at higher rates than men. Little research on men’s experiences in STSA has been conducted. We argue that men’s consciousness of temporality fostered through STSA discourse saturates their experience, including their feelings of vulnerability, efforts to bond quickly, the gendered roles they adopt during a short trip, and the sense of how this time would serve their future.

KEYWORDS:

• Men
• masculinities
• heteronormativity
• time
• higher education
• identities
• participatory methods

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jeff J. Simpson

Jeff J. Simpson’s research focuses on the discourse and imagery within education abroad as well as the imagineering processes students engage to imagine and construct study abroad experiences, the application of self-representation in narrating international experiences.

Lucy E. Bailey

Lucy E. Bailey’s research and teaching focuses on interdisciplinary diversity scholarship and qualitative methodologies. Bailey is faculty in Social Foundations and Qualitative Inquiry and the Director of Gender and Women’s Studies at Oklahoma State University (OSU).