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Tyneside is an area in north-east England which was once a major center of Britain's Industrial Revolution. Its industries were seen as the backbone of the region, upheld by a large industrial skilled working class.

As with many northern towns, widespread deindustrialization, predominantly around the 1970s and 1980s, dramatically changed the area. At its peak, Swan Hunter—a globally recognized shipyard and significant employer in Wallsend (North Tyneside) and the surrounding area—. By 2005, the year before its closure, were employed.

The process of deindustrialization affected not just the type of work that was done, but how men in the region saw themselves. As I am currently researching, the effects of this ring true today.

Like other regions in Britain, Tyneside shifted from mostly to a largely "feminized" service sector. Informal work, subcontracting and part-time work proliferated while rates of trade unionism .

Changes in industry and understandings of social class have a surprising amount to do with how we think about masculinity. Paul Willis' 1977 seminal study "" explores how the links between social class and masculinity are forged early in life.

Our ideas about masculinity are produced, reinforced and upheld through institutions such as schools, the workplace and media. There is no singular "form" of masculinity—men perform it in many different ways. There is, however, . This is the most dominant form of masculinity in a society at any given time, valued above other forms of gender identities that do not match up to the dominant ideal.

"Traditional" views of masculinity were particularly prevalent during the height of industry in the area. These views centered around ideas of men as . Value was placed on a willingness (or need) to do .

The demise of "masculine" labor in areas such as Tyneside disrupted not only economic stability but also . As broader socioeconomic shifts unfolded across England, many working class men found themselves outside of those traditional masculine ideals around labor.

This has been well documented, particularly in ethnographic work such as Anoop Nayak's 2006 study . This key text explored how working-class boys navigate "what it is to be a 'man' beyond the world of industrial paid employment."

Class and identity in a changing world

Early findings from my research suggest that today, class (and working-class identity) is not as salient in men's everyday lives. Participants in my study have spoken about class, but it does not overtly feature in how they make sense of their identities. As one man put it: "Class means you have to use yourself to earn money. Your labor, that's what I understand by it, but I've never thought about class much."

What happens to men when an area's strong working-class identity declines, but there is no narrative to replace it? There is a risk that harmful ideas about masculinity step in to fill a gap left by declining industry and continued economic inequality. We have seen this in in the US about masculinity, class and the appeal of the far right.

This is why class must be part of the discussion around the rise of the "manosphere"—online communities and influencers sharing content about masculinity that can veer into misogyny. Class politics also presents a positive and unifying alternative.

It is imperative that working-class areas and the people within them aren't portrayed as somehow inherently susceptible to, or represented by, the narratives of the manosphere. Indeed, the men I have spoken to have not been particularly pulled in by the manosphere. However, they do recognize the feeling of being overlooked and not measuring up to idealized "standards" about masculinity.

The preys on this, tapping into boys' and young men's fears around masculinity and their (perceived) social status. Narrow portrayals of what success looks like puts immense pressure on young people to live up to unattainable standards.

As I have , mansophere content often relies on messages around hyper-individualism that ignore the broader effects of class, the economy and political views.

Manosphere messaging that and that the system is now fits neatly with young boys' and men's anxieties about not having the same place or opportunities in society that previous generations of men might have had.

Without honest discussion about working-class communities and the effects of deindustrialization on identity, this messaging may become alluring in postindustrial towns.

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