‘It’s not the government’s responsibility to get me out running 10 km four times a week’ - Norwegian men’s understandings of responsibility for health

Abstract

The individualization of health has been extensively discussed in the last few decades. Empirical work, however, has mainly had its origins within neoliberal societies. Norway, as a social democratic welfare state based on universal social rights and egalitarianism is thus of interest in understanding how people’s talk reflects national policies. Through a series of 18 in-depth interviews with a heterogeneous group of middle-aged and elderly men in rural Norway, this paper explores lay men’s understandings of individuals’ responsibility for health vis-à-vis the state’s. The men in this study expressed complex but shared notions of the state’s and the individual’s responsibility for health. The individual’s main responsibility was to act in specific ways in order to maintain good health. However, little blame was placed on those who did not act in the expected way. The state’s main responsibilities were to facilitate the healthy lifestyle of individuals and act as a safety net for those in need. The state was also viewed as being responsible for providing universal health care free of charge, regardless of the reason for the need. We argue that the political and societal values of Norway are reflected in the men’s talk about responsibility for health, alongside neoliberal ideas found in other Western societies. Importantly, however, we conclude that a social democratic welfare state system supports and facilitates agency with regard to health, lifestyle and one’s life more broadly.