Retrenched Men Workers in Bangladesh: A Crisis of Masculinities?

Abstract

This study explores changing masculine identities and gender relations in households, taking the case of men workers retrenched by a state-owned newsprint paper mill in Bangladesh. It analyzes their post-retrenchment condition characterized by considerable income loss and its wider ramifications by comparing men in stable income-earning occupations and in unstable income-earning occupations. This study argues that although men at different levels define their masculine identity differently in response to their personal crises, they are all determined to maintain that identity. Two types of masculinities are identified: public masculinity—socializing with other men and acting smart in teashops, and household masculinity—their status as family providers. In a situation with limited resources, men give up the former and uphold the latter. The men’s retrenchment does not always provide empowerment opportunities for their women partners through their participation in gainful paid work.