Discursive constructions of masculinity in campaigns addressing gender violence in London

Public service announcements (PSAs) increasingly position men as key agents in preventing gender-based violence (GBV), yet their ideological foundations remain underexplored. This study critically analyses two London-based PSAs – Have a Word and Maaate – through a discourse analytic lens to examine how they construct responsibility and masculinity. We introduce the concept of responsibilised masculinity to describe a hybrid formation that blends progressive gender ideals with neo-liberal self-regulation. While the campaigns promote male intervention, they represent a broader trend that risks individualising responsibility and obscuring the structural conditions that sustain GBV. We argue that these PSAs discipline masculinities through moral governance, reinforcing dominant power relations while appearing transformative. The article calls for prevention efforts that move beyond responsibilisation towards systemic, relational and abolitionist approaches to gender justice.