Men’s Health: Perspectives, Diversity and Paradox Mike Luck, Margaret Bamford, Peter Williamson. Oxford: Blackwell Science, 2000. xx + 268 pages. Price A$61.00. Men tighten the knot of confusion Into perfect misunderstanding, Reflecting a pocket-torch of observation Upon each others opacity, Neglecting all admonitions From the world around the corner. T.S. Eliot The Family Reunion The sentiments expressed by T.S. Eliot can be seen reflected in much of the current literature concerning men’s health and gender. The last decade has seen a grow- ing awareness of men’s issues, in particular the health of men. The health profiles of men and women reveal dis- tinct differences. Men have a poorer health status. They are disproportionately represented in all medical condi- tions not specific to women. Men have the highest rates of health risk behaviour, of injury and suicide and yet the lowest uptake of health services. Death rates are higher for men across all age groups. In terms of their health care, men are seemingly disadvantaged. Increasing atten- tion is now being given to the impact of gender in both health status and health behaviour. The causes of these deficits in men’s health have been attributed to a number of factors, including biology, lifestyle, socioeconomic factors and behaviour. In Men’s Health: Perspectives, Diversity and Paradox, Mike Luck, Margaret Bamford and Peter Williamson explore the relationship between men’s health, masculin- ity and behaviour. The authors state that their purpose in writing the book was to develop an understanding of how the socialisation of men and boys influences their health and illness behaviours. The understanding they develop is applied to a critical examination of the British men’s health movement at local, regional and national levels. The book provides a historical account of the men’s health movement in Great Britain by critically examining research undertaken into men’s health, government policy, public health strategies and community initiatives. The book deals almost exclusively with events over the past decade. Throughout the book, European and Australian initiatives in men’s health are examined and comparisons made with the British experience. The book begins by asking the question, ‘is there a crisis in men’s health?’ This question is explored in an overview of the current knowledge of men’s health in Britain, drawn from demographic and epidemiological data. This reveals the extent of the problem but little about the cause. The authors look for the causes by inves- tigating how masculinity is constructed. They conclude that masculinity is an evolving and inconsistent set of relationships and practices with considerable social and cultural variation. They claim that differences in health- related behaviour stem from divergent knowledge, atti- tudes and beliefs. Gaining an understanding of what men know, their attitudes and beliefs regarding health and ill- ness and how these relate to their notions of masculinity is fundamental to the development of intervention strategies. The authors attempt to analyse the relationship between the various forms of masculinity and men’s health and illness behaviour. In particular they look at the theory of social capital, which proposes that an emotionally sup- portive social environment is protective of health. They cite research findings from eastern Europe that reveal a rising male mortality rate during the 1970s and 1980s, which they link to the failure of state socialism and the relative deprivation that ensued. Traditional female roles within the family were considered to offer protection for women’s health. The concept of gender roles is examined further in the relationship of work to health. The importance of work in the maintenance of ‘traditional’ masculinity is explored in some detail. The authors argue that men’s identity has long been linked to, and gauged by, the work they per- form. They assert that the recent radical changes in the nature of work have implications for masculine identity. They also examine the occupational hazards associated with work and discuss the workplace as a point of access for both researching and promoting men’s health. The men’s health movement in Britain is analysed in detail and compared with that of Europe and Australia. The authors believe little progress has been made in Britain in addressing the problems of male health. They examine in detail national and state initiatives in Aus- tralia, claiming that men’s health issues have achieved a higher level of recognition in Australia. They point to the formulation of the draft National Men’s Health Policy as Book Reviews Aust. J. Rural Health (2000) 8, 183–185