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Dr Martin Robb
Profile summary
- Central Academic Staff
- Senior Lecturer
- Faculty of Wellbeing, Education & Language Studies
- School of Health, Wellbeing & Social Care
- Health & Social Care
- martin.robb
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Web links
Professional biography
Martin Robb is a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies, based in the School of Health, Wellbeing and Social Care, and is currently the academic lead for the MA in Childhood and Youth. He is the author of Men, Masculinities and the Care of Children: Images, Ideas and Identities, published by Routledge in 2020 and co-editor, with Kerry Jones, of Men and Loss: Bereavement, Grief and Masculinity, to be published by Routledge in 2024. Martin hosts the Careful Thinking podcast and is co-editor of the interdisciplinary journal Children & Society. His academic research has been broadly concerned with issues relating to gender, identity and care. He was Principal Investigator for 'Beyond Male Role Models: Gender Identities and Practices in Work with Young Men' (2013-15), a collaboration between The Open University and Action for Children, funded by the ESRC, and 'Young Men, Masculinity and Wellbeing' (2016-17), in partnership with Promundo, and funded by Axe/Unilever. Most recently, Martin has been engaged with colleagues in research with bereaved fathers. Before joining the Open University Martin worked in a variety of community education projects with disadvantaged adults and young people.
Research interests
- Currently developing writing project on care ethics and personalist philosophy
- Fathers, football and perinatal loss (2021 - 2023)
- Young men, masculinity and wellbeing (principal investigator, in partnership with Promundo, funded by Axe/Unilever, 2016-17)
- Beyond male role models: gender identities and practices in work with young men (principal investigator; in partnership with Action for Children, funded by ESRC, 2013-2015)
- Fatherhood and identity (funded by Faculty of Health and Social Care Committee, 2001)
- Men, masculinities and childcare (funded by Faculty of Health and Social Care Research Committee, 1998)
- Project to assess the training needs of people working with parents and primary carers (with Parenting Education and Support Forum, funded by Home Office, 1999-2000)
- Reading, discourse and learning (funded by Institute of Educational Technology Research Committee, 1996)
Teaching interests
Current and recent teaching responsibilities include:
- E822 Masters multi-disciplinary dissertation module: education, childhood and youth: chair, author
- K804 Developing advanced clinical practice: co-chair
- E809 Frameworks for critical practice with children and young people: chair, author, co-editor
- E808 Children's and young people's worlds: author, co-editor
- KE206 Making a difference: working with children and young people: author
- K828 Researching and evaluating healthcare practice (rewrite): chair
- K827 Advancing Healthcare Practice (rewrite): co-chair
- EK313 Research with Children and Young People: Reader editor and author
- K802 Critical Practice with Children and Young People: chair and author
- KE308 Youth: Perspectives and Practice: co-chair and author
- K309 Communication in Health and Social Care: chair and author
- K204 Working with Children and Families: author
Current and recent postgraduate supervision includes:
- Rachel Wood (co-design of parenting education for women in the criminal justice system)
- Laura Horne (using a trauma-informed approach in a school setting)
- Gemma Ballard (fathers and perinatal mental health)
- Aaron Mvula (young fathers in Zambia)
- Samantha Goodliffe (families and celiac disease)
- Ned Redmore (parenting and autistic adults)
- Christopher Chaloner (older fathers)
- Katia Narzisi (international adoptions in Italy)
- Alison Davies (parental constructions of ADHD)
- Jeff Hunt (fatherhood and masculine identity)
- Ian Ndlovu (street children in Zimbabwe))
- Jane Reeves (socially excluded young fathers)
Impact and engagement
- Co-editor, Children & Society
- Host, Careful Thinking podcast
- Member, ESRC Peer Review College
- Member, Advisory group and expert panel, National Evaluation of 'A Better Start' programme
- Member, Fathers Development Foundation advisory group
- Member, Men as Change Agents Working Group: Government Equalities Office/Women's Business Council
- Panel member, National Consultation with Women: Government Equalities Office, November 2014
- Independent expert representing UK at European Commission exchange of good practice seminar on role of men in gender equality: Helsinki, Finland, October 2014
External collaborations
- Axe/Unilever-funded research project 'Young men, masculinity and wellbeing' (2016-17), in collaboration with Promundo-US
- ESRC-funded research project 'Beyond Male Role Models' (2013-2015), in collaboration with Action for Children
Research groups
| Name | Type | Parent Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Children and Young People Research Group | Group | Faculty of Health and Social Care |
Externally funded projects
Young men, masculinity and well-being
| Role | Start date | End date | Funding source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead | 01 Sep 2016 | 28 Feb 2017 | Promundo |
This research project, organised on behalf of Promundo-US, will use focus groups to explore the attitudes and experiences of a cross-section of British young men, with the aim of examining connections between masculine identity and well-being. The project, which builds on a questionnaire survey commissioned by Promundo, forms part of a three-country study in the UK, the US and Mexico. | |||
Do boys need male role models? Gender Identities and Practices in Work with Young Men
| Role | Start date | End date | Funding source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead | 01 May 2013 | 30 Apr 2015 | ESRC Economic and Social Research Council |
Young men have become a key focus of public anxiety in recent years, with widespread concern about educational under-achievement, poor mental health and anti-social behaviour. One popular explanation for these poor outcomes has been the absence of male role models from the lives of many vulnerable young men, resulting in a number of initiatives aimed at increasing male involvement in boys' lives and recruiting more men to work in educational and welfare settings. But how much do we know about the part played by gender in work with young men? Does it really make a difference if boys are surrounded by positive male role models? This project has provided a unique opportunity to explore these questions, in a way that offers fresh insights into young men's lives and contributes to improving professional relationships. The project has been developed in partnership between a team at The Open University and a national charity, Action for Children. The research was carried out at projects throughout the UK and included focus groups and individual interviews with service users and staff, and an analysis of policy documents, media stories and academic texts. It includes a comprehensive dissemination process, including a short film, aimed at sharing the findings of the research with a wide audience, with a view to increasing understanding of the issues and improving practice in work with boys and young men. | |||
Publications
Journal articles
Hidden from Family History: The Ethics of Remembering (2024-05-01)
Robb, Martin
Genealogy, 8, Article 51(2)
‘Men, we just deal with it differently’: researching sensitive issues with young men (2021)
Robb, Martin
International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 24(5) (pp. 617-625)
‘From Your Ever Anxious and Loving Father’: Faith, Fatherhood, and Masculinity in One Man’s Letters to His Son during the First World War. (2020-03-24)
Robb, Martin
Genealogy, 4, Article 32(1)
Beyond gender binaries: pedagogies and practices in early childhood education and care (ECEC) (2020)
Xu, Yuwei; Warin, Jo and Robb, Martin
Early Years, 40(1) (pp. 1-4)
Fathers and Forefathers: Men and Their Children in Genealogical Perspective (2020)
Robb, Martin
Genealogy, 4(2) (e65)
New understandings of fathers’ experiences of grief and loss following stillbirth and neonatal death: a scoping review (2019-12)
Jones, Kerry; Robb, Martin; Murphy, Sam and Davies, Alison
Midwifery, 79, Article 102531
Doing gender locally: The importance of ‘place’ in understanding marginalised masculinities and young men’s transitions to ‘safe’ and successful futures (2017-11-01)
Ward, Michael R.M.; Tarrant, Anna; Terry, Gareth; Featherstone, Brid; Robb, Martin and Ruxton, Sandy
The Sociological Review, 65(4) (pp. 797-815)
‘They are just good people…generally good people’: Perspectives of young men on relationships with social care workers in the UK (2017-08-10)
Featherstone, Brid; Robb, Martin; Ruxton, Sandy and Ward, Michael R.M.
Children & Society, 31(5) (pp. 331-341)
Are Male Role Models Really the Solution? Interrogating the ‘War on Boys’ Through the Lens of the ‘Male Role Model’ Discourse (2015-08)
Tarrant, Anna; Terry, Gareth; Ward, Michael R.M.; Ruxton, Sandy; Robb, Martin and Featherstone, Brigid
Boyhood Studies. An Interdisciplinary Journal, 8(1)
Exploring fatherhood: masculinity and intersubjectivity in the research process (2004-11)
Robb, Martin
Journal of Social Work Practice, 18(3) (pp. 395-406)
Authored books
Men, Masculinities and the Care of Children: Images, Ideas and Identities (2019)
Robb, Martin
ISBN : 978-1-138-23455-0 | Publisher : Routledge | Published : Abingdon
Book chapters
Introduction (2025)
Jones, Kerry and Robb, Martin
In: Jones, Kerry and Robb, Martin eds. Men and Loss: New Perspectives on Bereavement, Grief and Masculinity (pp. 1-3)
ISBN : 9781003333999 | Publisher : Routledge | Published : London
‘The loss of my son defines me’: Masculinity, identity and bereavement (2025)
Robb, Martin
In: Jones, Kerry and Robb, Martin eds. Men and Loss: New Perspectives on Bereavement, Grief and Masculinity (pp. 4-17)
ISBN : 9781003333999 | Publisher : Routledge | Published : London
We can’t play with them, but we can play for them’: fathers uniting in grief through football (2024)
Jones, Kerry; Murphy, Sam and Robb, Martin
In: Jones, Kerry and Robb, Martin eds. Men and Loss. New Perspectives on Bereavement, Grief and Masculinity
ISBN : 9781032368238 | Publisher : Routledge | Published : London
'With Prayer from Your Loving Father': Men, Masculinity, Faith and Care (2022)
Robb, Martin
In: van Nistelrooij, Inge; Sander-Staudt, Maureen and Hamington, Maurice eds. Care Ethics, Religion, and Spiritual Traditions. Ethics of Care (pp. 195-209)
ISBN : 978-90-429-4654-5 | Publisher : Peeters | Published : Leuven, Belgium
Wanted men? Gendered discourses in work with children and young people (2019-06-21)
Robb, Martin
In: Robb, Martin; Montgomery, Heather and Thomson, Rachel eds. Critical Practice with Children and Young People, 2nd edition (pp. 219-237)
ISBN : 978-1447352822 | Publisher : Policy Press | Published : Bristol
Beyond Male Role Models: Gender Identities and Work with Young Men in the UK (2018-11-20)
Ruxton, Sandy; Robb, Martin; Featherstone, Brigid and Ward, Michael
In: Kulkarni, Mangesh and Jain, Rimjhim eds. Global Masculinities: Interrogations and Reconstructions
ISBN : 9780367001919 | Publisher : Routledge | Published : India
Young men and gender identity (2018-07-11)
Robb, Martin and Ruxton, Sandy
In: Montgomery, Heather and Robb, Martin eds. Children and young people’s worlds (pp. 141-156)
ISBN : 978-1447348450 | Publisher : Policy Press | Published : Bristol
Family relationships and troubled masculinities: the experience of young men in contact with care and welfare services (2018)
Robb, Martin; Featherstone, Brid; Ruxton, Sandy and Ward, Michael R.M.
In: O'Dell, Lindsay; Brownlow, Charlotte and Bertilsdotter-Rosqvist, Hanna eds. Different Childhoods: Non/Normative Development and Transgressive Trajectories (pp. 72-84)
ISBN : 9781138654037 | Publisher : Routledge | Published : Abingdon, Oxfordshire
Disseminating research: shaping the conversation (2014)
Robb, Martin
In: Clark, Alison; Flewitt, Rosie; Hammersley, Martyn and Robb, Martin eds. Understanding Research with Children and Young People. Published in association with The Open University (pp. 237-249)
ISBN : 978-1-4462-7492-7 | Publisher : SAGE Publication Ltd. | Published : London
Men wanted? Gender and the children's workforce (2010)
Robb, Martin
In: Robb, Martin and Thomson, Rachel eds. Critical Practice with Children and Young People (pp. 185-199)
ISBN : 9781847426826 | Publisher : Policy Press | Published : Bristol
Gender (2007)
Robb, Martin
In: Kehily, Mary ed. Understanding Youth: perspectives, identities and practices (pp. 109-145)
ISBN : 9781412930642 | Publisher : Sage | Published : London
Wellbeing (2007)
Robb, Martin
In: Kehily, Mary ed. Understanding Youth: perspectives, identities and practices (pp. 181-213)
ISBN : 9781412930659 | Publisher : Sage | Published : London
Relating (2007)
Robb, Martin
In: Kehily, Mary ed. Understanding Youth: perspectives, identities and practices (pp. 313-344)
ISBN : 9781412930659 | Publisher : Sage | Published : London
Men talking about fatherhood: discourse and identities (2003-11-27)
Robb, Martin
In: Barrett, Sheila; Komaromy, Carol; Robb, Martin and Rogers, Anita eds. Communication, Relationships and Care: A Reader (pp. 121-130)
ISBN : 9780415326599 | Publisher : Routledge | Published : London, UK
Men working in childcare (2000-12)
Robb, M.
In: Foley, Pam; Roche, Jeremy and Tucker, Stan eds. Children in Society: Contemporary Theory, Policy and Practice (pp. 230-238)
ISBN : 333945883 | Publisher : Palgrave/The Open University | Published : Basingstoke, UK
Edited books
Men and Loss: New Perspectives on Bereavement, Grief and Masculinity (2025)
Jones, Kerry and Robb, Martin eds.
Routledge Key Themes in Health and Society
ISBN : 978-1-03-2736823-8 | Publisher : Routledge | Published : Abingdon-on-Thames, UK
Children and young people’s worlds (2nd edition) (2018)
Montgomery, Heather and Robb, Martin eds.
ISBN : 978-1447348450 | Publisher : Policy Press
Understanding Research with Children and Young People. (2013-11)
Clark, Alison; Flewitt, Rosie; Hammersley, Martyn and Robb, Martin eds.
ISBN : 9781446274927 | Publisher : Sage | Published : London
Critical Practice with Children and Young People (2010-07-21)
Robb, Martin and Thomson, Rachel eds.
ISBN : 9781847426819 | Publisher : Policy Press | Published : Bristol
Youth in Context: Frameworks, Settings and Encounters (2007)
Robb, Martin ed.
ISBN : 9781412930666 | Publisher : Sage | Published : London
Communication, relationships and care: A Reader (2003)
Barrett, Sheila; Komaromy, Carol; Robb, Martin and Rogers, Anita eds.
ISBN : 978-0-415-32660-5 | Publisher : Routledge | Published : London
Other
Relational Care - with Mary Larkin and Manik Deepak-Gopinath [Podcast] (2023-11-22)
Robb, Martin; Larkin, Mary and Deepak Gopinath, Manik
Careful Thinking
Boys and Fatherhood (2021-08-25)
Robb, Martin
Oxford Bibliographies Online - Childhood Studies, Oxford University Press
How can Adult Carers get the best support during Covid-19 pandemic and beyond? (2020-06-03)
Taverner, Phil; Larkin, Mary; Vseteckova, Jitka; Kentzer, Nichola; Horne, Jo; Penson, Martin; Robb, Martin; Berry, Alex; Spencer, Melinda and Methley, Abigail
Open Learn, Milton Keynes.
The effects of self-isolation and lack of physical activity on carers. (2020-06-03)
Vseteckova, Jitka; Kentzer, Nichola; Horne, Jo; Robb, Martin; Larkin, Mary; Berry, Alex; Spencer, Melinda; Methley, Abigail and Taverner, Phil
Open Learn, Milton Keynes.
Young carers,COVID-19 and physical activity (2020-06-03)
Vseteckova, Jitka; Kentzer, Nichola; Horne, Jo; Penson, Martin; Robb, Martin; Larkin, Mary; Berry, Alex; Spencer, Melinda; Methley, Abigail and Taverner, Phil
OpenLearn, Milton Keynes.
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