Constructing masculinity: understanding the connection between masculinity and violence

Gender is a critical issue with respect to peace because it is widely accepted that there is a strong link between masculinity and violence. This chapter addresses this issue and advances two main arguments. First, our understanding of what is responsible for gender differences (e.g. the relative influence of biology and/or society) has an impact on whether we view gender and violence as changeable, and therefore whether it is inevitable or not. Second, other research perspectives (for instance, social network analysis) are useful additions to (peace) psychology and provide new insights into how we think about gender and violence