Aboriginal Fields Of – Practice – Bindi Bennett

There has been a broadening of fathering roles and men who identify or are identified as fathers. One of the significant challenges for men is to adapt to these changes in ways that provide positive meaning to their fathering role and identity, strengthen their relationships with their children and partner and focus on fathering behaviours that are nurturant, supportive, and protective (Davis et al., 2012, p. 11). Providing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males with the resources and support to navigate these transitions is essential in producing happy and harmonious communities.

Collective fathering is beginning to be seen as essential in strengthening the bonds between men in their role as fathers and endorsing the importance of fatherhood to male identities. The growth of Aboriginal men’s groups throughout Australia continues to facilitate the ‘healing’ of Aboriginal men and encourage dialogue around the importance of Aboriginal fathers to fam­ ilies and communities.

The support of men’s groups is central in providing a medium for Aboriginal men to voice their needs and aspirations (Reilly & Rees, 2018, p. 421). Anecdotal evidence and local knowledge, however, strongly suggests that the parenting role is positively associated with men’s psychological wellbeing (Reilly & Rees, 2018, p. 421; Adams, 2006; Laliberte et al., 2012; McCalman et al., 2006; Tsey et al., 2002, 2004).

Indigenous society accepts that there is men’s business and women’s busi­ ness and that this understanding is not based around inequality (Bessarab, 2006; Fredericks, 2010; Fredericks et al., 2014). Unlike Western societies, where gender has been a marker of empowerment (male) and subordination (female), gender in Aboriginal societies defines different fields of influence and empowerment (Brock, 2001 ). This gender-specific authority is protected by maintaining a separation between ‘male and female spheres’. These ‘male and female spheres’ are known as men’s business and women’s business (Brock, 2001, p. 9).

The activities and knowledges relating to each gender’s business are not shared between the genders (Brock, 2001, p. 9; Fredericks et al., 2014). Even today, Indigenous people uphold the separation of men’s and women’s business, particularly in relation to health interventions (Fredericks et al., 2014). This does not mean that Aboriginal males and females are unable to work collaboratively from a gender-relations approach with respect to addressing a broad range of public health issues. Indeed, there are multiple examples of family- and community-oriented health promotion programs that successfully adopt a gender lens in a collaborative way.

However, it is an acknowledgement there are some health spheres where gender-specificity is a cultural requirement and should not be ignored.

Book Information

• Unique ID: 45871c615f3cafa4
• File Extension: .pdf
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• Title: –
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• ISBN: 9781352012330, 9781352012286, 9781352012293, 9781350929050
• Pages: 343
• Language: English (en)

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