Men and care: Constructions of masculinities in Brazilian public health

Following the direction of the studies on the relationship between the social construction of masculinities and the health-disease-care process, this article presents depositions of men, users of facilities of Primary Health Care ( PHC), about their identity constructions and the relationship that they have with issues such as the recognition of health problems and seeking care. Data are from a multicentered survey, guided by ethnographic perspective and focused on investigating the relationship between men and PHC facilities of cities in four Brazilian states. In this part, semi-structured interviews conducted with 60 men, users of two Basic Health Units, located in Natal, are analyzed. In the depositions about what characterizes being a man, two associations are highlighted: between be a man and be strong, and between men and (not) care. Perceptions are also expressed about the use of the units by men and the configuration of the structure of these facilities, in respect of the care provided to men and women. The speeches are ambivalent; they resort to gender characteristics, values and stereotypes and, on the other hand, they criticize or problematize these constructions. A rearticulation of stereotyped and naturalized gender conceptions, present in social interactions and health practices, is delineated like an especially important challenge in the current scenario of political and institutional construction of the men's health care.