Pete Seaman

What does ‘masculinity’ mean today? On Being a Man brings together four men to consider the condition of Scottish men, reflect on their own backgrounds and experiences, and confront some of the most difficult issues men face. These include the changing roles of men in Scottish society, the role of work and employment. What it means to be a man is very different from forty years ago: in terms of expectations, relationships, how men relate to partners, bring up children and what constitutes a modern family. However, there is a dark side of Scottish masculinity – seen in the drinking, violent, abusive behaviour of some Scots men, and this book addresses this directly, getting into issues many of us often shy away from confronting. Draws on the wide-ranging voices of: journalist, writer and broadcaster, David Torrance; founder of a youth employment and mentoring charity, Sandy Campbell; public health researcher, Pete Seaman; and former policeman and head of the violence reduction unit, John Carnochan.

Parent-focused interventions impact primarily on families living in disadvantaged communities, but there has been relatively little research into the challenges of bringing up children in these environments. Parenting and Children's Resilience in Disadvantaged Communities explores how families living in these communities manage parent-child relationships during the middle childhood. Based on two linked studies, it examines the experiences and perspectives of parents and children living in disadvantaged communities in the West of Scotland, and highlights their points of view on the stresses and risks they face and the ways in which they deal with them. This book offers insights for practitioners and policy-makers working in parenting, social exclusion and young people.