WEEK NO.

TAGOLOAN Community College

Baluarte, Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental
Tel. No. (08822)740-835/ (088)5671-215

College of Arts and Sciences

Course Code: GEE 7 – Gender and Society
Semester of A.Y. 2022-2023

MODULE 4
SOCIAL DEFINITION OF MASCULINITY AND FEMININITY

Week 8 will focus on the fourth module…

Introduction

This lesson broadens your mind to delve deeper into the social definition of

Masculinity and Femininity that will lead you to value the roles of men and women in

our society.
COURSE MODULE

The concepts include the physical and psychological aspects of man and woman

that there is a way to consider how such an individual interact with the environment and to the
people around them.

This lesson was also anchored by some researchers who shared their ideas and perceptions
towards the functions of men and women (masculine and feminine) views to the norms of the
society.

Rationale

Help you understand and analyze the societal views of feminine and masculine characteristics
particularly when it is integrated with interactions, research, and even experiences.

Intended Learning Outcomes

At the end of the lesson, you are expected to:

A. Understand better about the definition of masculinity and femininity;

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B. Appraise the characteristics of masculinity on how it socially integrated to the norms of the
society; and
C. Analyze the concept presented by some authors in defining the terms which help to realize
conceptions and experiences.

Activity
TRY TO REFLECT THIS!
ACTIVATING PRIOR KNOWLEDGE
COURSE MODULE

Looking back to your childhood

years or high school days.
Do you
experience
when your friends/classmates teased
you when they can toss up heavy objects, but you cannot do the same thing as they

were? Or…

Discussion
SOCIAL DEFINITION OF MASCULINITY AND
FEMININITY

Do you feel that when your mother is likely to dress you up with feminine ways or putting lace on your hair,

but you would not feel comfortable to walk or face with your classmates and friends?

In this module, we’re going to scrutinize the different views of social definition of masculinity and
femininity which enlighten us on how these perceptions socially define to the different attributes based on
research and observations. As being emphasized by some authors, it posits into the contextual definition
and elaborated by subject and ideas which clearly emphasized what they’ve shared.

Now, let us explicate what these terms are; masculinities and femininities refer to the social roles,
behaviors, and meanings prescribed for men and women in any society at any time. Such normative gender
ideologies must be distinguished from biological sex and must be understood to be plural as there is no
single definition for all men and all women. Masculinities and femininities are structured and expressed
through other axes of identity such as class, race, ethnicity, age, and sexuality. Thus, some definitions are
held up as the hegemonic versions, against which others are measured.

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Gender ideologies are more than properties of individuals; masculinities and femininities are also
institutionally organized and elaborated and experienced through interactions, (Kimmel, M., 2001). ¹

Body Image

In terms of the body image, the cultural norms of femininity and masculinity include strong cultural
messages about what “real” men and “real” women should look like, as well as norms relating to
attractiveness. Transgender individuals may experience feelings of dysphoria connected to primary and
secondary sex characteristics (eg. genitalia, facial hair) that are incongruent with their gender identity
(Bockting et al., 2006; Martin & Yonkin, 2006).

In addition, because cultural and societal norms include strong messages about masculinity and
femininity, as well as attractiveness and beauty, many transgender individuals have difficulty accepting other
aspects of their bodies (eg. narrow hips and large backs among MTFs, and wide hips and small stature
among FTMs), or facial characteristics (eg. prominent nose and strong chin on an MTF or a smooth hairless
chin and petite features on an FTM) (Ashbee & Goldberg, 2006; Bockting et al., 2006; Collazo, Austin, &
Craig, 2013). ¹
COURSE MODULE

Beginning of Masculinity

More traditional models of the household have the men working solely outside of their homes, making
them absent during a child’s early years. This scenario leaves young boys with no male model to learn from.
The presence of the female and absence of the male lead to boys learning masculinity through dissociation
from their mothers. There is a conscious attempt to separate themselves from what they “see” as “women’s
tasks”. Men’s ways of knowing are then more distanced. The analysis of boyhood shows that men learn to
be men through dissociation and separation – posited by Giligan as the root of men’s problems.

What Makes a Man a Man?

One can say that man is strong, but the degree of strength one may have depends on age, biology, and
physical ability. Similarly, people may have different kinds of strength, from physical to emotional and even
mental.
Sociologist Michael Kimmel, identifies four rules of American masculinity in the 1970s as described by
psychologist Robert Brannon:
1. No Sissy Stuff: Masculinity is based on the relentless repudiation of the feminine.
2. Be a Big Wheel: We measure masculinity by the size of your paycheck. Wealth, power, and status
are all markers of masculinity.
3. Be a sturdy Oak: What makes a man a man is that he is reliable in a crisis.
4. Give ‘em Hell: Exude an aura of daring and aggression. Take risks, live life on the edge.

Joseph Vandello and Jennifer Bosson, two psychologists who study manhood added that only one
masculinity dominates the gender hierarchy above all femininities and other masculinities which known as
“hegemonic masculinity”. It explains why men who act a certain way feel as though they can dominate both
men and women.

Proving Masculinity

The constant need to prove one’s masculinity along with the notion that it is hard to win and easy to lose
makes one wonder: Who do men need to prove themselves to?

In fact, gender is an identity that is socially constructed through interaction. Men perform their masculinity
to other men. They also compare themselves to other men as was done in childhood

learning. Women may even be the objects or the means to the end of impressing other men. An

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example of masculine culture is lad culture. It is a “variety of masculinities and cultures in UK

university communities, which men and women may move into and out of, but which may shape their
identities and attitudes and frame their experience of university life. ²

Lad culture is a concept often linked to the crisis of

masculinity in the West. In this campus culture, men in colleges
or universities perpetuate traditions that objectify and sexualize
others, usually women and the LGBT. This
practice is done to reclaim their “manhood” as a possible
backlash to feminism and the empowerment of women.

Lad culture is related to raunch culture because of the

potential and actual harm it can cause students, from binge
drinking to harassment. It is often associated with pressing
issues such as violence against women in schools,

sexual harassment, and discrimination against the LGBT,

certain religious groups, or ethnicities.

In the U.S., the counterpart of lad culture is the hookup culture on campuses. Here, sexual activity is
regarded as the transition marker from manhood. The use of sexuality to define masculinity has shown that
boys either use their socialized gender traits to enact their sexuality or use their sexuality to represent their
socialized gender traits – power, detachment, competition. An Aversion to the Feminine: Masculinity as
Homophobia

Manhood at its essence is still defined in relation to womanhood or in opposition to women.

A study by Kimmel shows the masculinity may be studied in relation to school shootings in the U.S. The
perpetrators of these school shootings were all male who did do not fall under the typical male figure. These
boys were teased, bullied, and beaten up. Often, they were ostracized. Often, their sexuality would be called
into question as they may have failed to enact the dominant masculinity of their school. Nearly all these
boys were bullied because they were different, not because they were gay. In other way, do you experience
when your friends/classmates teased you when they can toss up heavy objects, but you cannot do the same
thing as they were?

Masculinity, through its dissociation with women and femininity, may have become a form of
homophobia. Homophobia is not the fear itself of gay men, but the fear that a man can and will become
gay or feminine.

Assessment

Directions: Answer the following questions:

1. How do you explain the statement “Masculinity is a socially constructed set of attributes that defines
how to be manly? Why do people need to understand that masculinity is a social

2. What are the four tenets of masculinity as laid down by Kimmel? Expound each one.
3. What is lad culture? How is it different from raunch culture and hook up culture?
4. What are the cultural and societal norms of masculinity and femininity in terms of body

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image? WEEK NO. 8

Reflection

PRACTICE AND APPLICATION

Think about how men insult each other by referring to the other as bakla or tomboy. Why do they do tough
things to prove they are not sissies like girls? Make a poster that reflect your views on masculinity as you
have understood it based on the discussions in this module.

Resources

¹ Retrieved from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/femininity

² National Union Students, University of Sussex, That’s What She Said: Women Students’ Experiences of
‘Lad Culture’ in Higher Education (London: National Union of Students, 2012), p. 25

Rodriguez, Agustin M. G. and Rodriguez, Ara Marie L., (2019). Gender and Society.
C & E Publishing Inc., 839 EDSA, South Triangle, Quezon City. Philippines

Macionis, John J., (2012). Sociology, 14th Edition. Pearson Education South Asia Pte Ltd. Jurong, Singapore
629733

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