ABSTRACT
A theoretical understanding of men's pain is of crucial importance to the current men's movement. This chapter argues that a lack of such understanding is one of the main factors causing it to move in such worrying directions. A denial of male pain conflicts totally with men's actual experience of themselves. The chapter also argues that there are significant costs to men in participating in the structures of gender injustice, and that a theoretical understanding of these costs can play a part in convincing men of the need to dismantle these structures. The chapter briefs three factors that are central to producing a productive analysis that validates men's subjective experience while placing it firmly within the context of structured masculine oppression. The role of men's pain and emotional silence in the perpetuation of dominant masculinity is clearly shown in the area of aging and sexuality.
