Abstract:

This paper is inspired by an observation that challenges the theory of cumulative advantage/disadvantage (CAD). CAD says that not only are we born with unequal conditions, inequalities in any given characteristic, such as money, health, or status increase over time (Dannefer, 2003:327). People with educated parents tend to become well educated, and vice versa, and people with a higher level of education tend to engage in adult learning throughout their lives, while those with only compulsory school do not, which in turn effects their health, well-being and quality of life negatively. CAD is a somewhat deterministic theory, inviting ideas of what could be done to counteract such processes.

Observations to this effect were made in studies of Men’s Sheds. Men’s sheds are community-based workshops offering men beyond paid work “somewhere to go, something to do and someone to talk to” (Golding 2015). Starting in Australia in the 1990s, it is a growing social movement with over 2000 Sheds worldwide (http://mensshed.org). The target group is largely retired working-class men; a group disadvantaged in terms of education, health, income and social status. However, Sheds attract men from all walks of life; also some well-educated and professional men.

The Sheds have been found to benefit older men’s learning, health, well-being, and social integration. Traditional class divisions were erased, and participants were able to relinquish stereotypical “macho” male identities in favour of softer, caring identities (Cavanagh, Southcombe, & Bartram, 2014; Golding, Foley, & Brown, 2007; Golding, 2015; Haesler, 2015; Morgan, Hayes, Williamson, & Ford, 2007).

The keys to their success are:
(i) Sheds offer men practical, gender-stereotypical activities,
(ii) they are self-organized, so service providers are kept at arm’s length, and
(iii) women are not present (Ahl, Hedegaard, & Golding, 2017).

A somewhat counter-intuitive conclusion is that when older men get to do gender stereotypical activities in gender segregated groups, they are able to relinquish class divisions and gender stereotypes. The research question is therefore: does learning in homogeneous groups challenge patterns of inequality, and if so, what patterns and how?

Based on participant observations and interviews with “shedders” in three countries we found support for the afore-mentioned observations. Working class men possessed the necessary practical skills to became the teachers of other men – their competence was valued, which erased class divisions. When no women were around to fuss with their health concerns, or with tasks such as cooking, they started to do this for themselves and their mates. However, we also noted that heterosexuality was taken for granted and received conceptions of ethnicity/race were reinforced. Homosexuals and immigrants (or people of the native population) were not acknowledged – they became the new “others” of the group. A new-formed fellowship required an outgroup for its definition. Our conclusion is that learning in homogeneous groups allows the erasure of some inequalities, but reproduces others, and the former appears conditional on the latter. We use these observations to formulate a theory of conditional social equality (CSE) which may provide a partial antidote to cumulative disadvantage.

Keywords:

Older men’s-learning, social inequality, cumulative disadvantage, gender stereotypes.