Lesson 14:

Men and
Masculinities
Prepared by: Carla Michaela M. Hermoso-Ong, LPT
 Definition of Terms
A social, cultural, and historical construction of men depended on
Masculinities and related to other factors such as class, ethnicity, sexuality, age,
and disability.
Hegemonic masculinity Form of masculinity which is culturally dominant in a given setting.

Form of masculinity which is culturally dominant in marginalized

Protest masculinity
setting.
Proposes that men are able to adopt what is viewed as traditionally
Caring masculinity
feminine characteristics.
Introduction
Since 1970s, studies on different aspects of manhood
were made. By the 20th century, the number of these
studies increased dramatically.’

Literature of men and masculinity focuses on a

variety of topics including men’s violence, fatherhood,
pornography, men’s crimes, female masculinity, and
male femininity, etc. since clear dominance of men
over global economic and political power is rising.

Men make up large a large majority of corporate

executives, top economic and political power.
Worldwide, men held 93% of cabinet-level posts in
1996 and most top positions in international agencies
(Gierycz, 1999).
 Introduction
With the rise of women’s liberation movement,
and many feminisms that have followed from it, it
produced a massive disturbance in the gender
system and people’s assumptions about gender.

Large numbers of men now acknowledge that

their position is under challenge, that what they
once “took for granted” must now be re-thought.

This makes men’s studies and masculinity

became popular.
Men’s Rights Lobby
One of the main founding texts of this lobby is by Warren Farrell. In
1996, his work, “The Myth of Male Power: Why are Men the
Disposable Sex?”, posited the following:

● Men are now the gender victims as a result of feminism having

gone too far, with men having increased responsibilities but few
rights around issues of marriage, divorce, child custody, and
access to children.|

● Modern legislation is seen to be overprotective of women’s

interests, resulting in discrimination against men at a time when
they are under increasing threat within a rapidly changing
society.

● Some researchers argue that these pro-male movements were

only a reaction to feminism -- an attempt to accuse women
feminists for creating problems that men encounter in society.
Men’s Rights Lobby
These all meant that Men’s Rights Lobby is viewed as the
men's rights movement where it rejects the concept that
men are privileged relative to women.
 Masculinity Themes
I. Multiple Masculinity
“There is no one pattern of masculinity that is found everywhere.”

Cultural views of masculinity can vary and be totally different from what we are used to.
 Masculinity Themes
II. Hierarchy and Hegemony
“We equate manhood with being strong,
successful, capable, reliable, in control.”

Hegemonic masculinity signifies a position of

cultural authority and leadership but not total
dominance as other forms of masculinity
persists alongside. It embodies popular heroes,
role models, and fictional characters that
contain within it the image of the man in
power, a man with power and a man of power.
- (Kimmel 1997)
Masculinity Themes
III. Collective Masculinity
Gender structures of a society define particular
patterns of conduct of individuals as either
“masculine” or “feminine”.

These patterns exists at the collective level in

institutions, such as corporations, armies, governments,
and even schools. Masculinities are also defined
collectively in the workplace and in informal groups like
street gangs.

In sports, aggressive kind of masculinity is created

organizationally by its structures, patterns of
competitions, system of training, and hierarchy of level
and rewards.
Masculinities and Well-being
Research confirmed a strong association between rigid norms about what it
means to be a man and men’s negative health practices and vulnerabilities
(Barker et al., 2011)

● Men are unlikely to talk about their worries and more likely to drink and
engage in other destructive behaviors when stressed. These connote
evidence that contributes to suicidal behavior and depression among
men.

● Strict emotional control serve as barriers to health and help-seeking

behavior is detrimental to their health and that of their families.
Masculinities and Well-being
● Death and disability rates related to alcohol and substance abuse are
considerably higher for men than for women, making substance abuse and
addiction predominantly male phenomena worldwide (Pyne et al., 2002; WHO
2004).

● The requirement of physical strength appears to be a nearly universal

component of a dominant masculinity (Katz, 1999). The physical version of
hegemonic masculinity has been promoted by globalization via films, toys, and
other forms (Katz, 2003).
 Family Formation, Fathering,
Caregiving, and Domestic Roles
● Domestic roles are closely associated with women as men may have “loss
of face”. However, researches have shown that domestic roles are now
taken by men (Baker and Pawlak, 2011).

● Being involved in the lives of their children brings psychological and health
benefits to men (Dykstra and Keizer, 2009).

● Child development demonstrates lasting benefits to children of their

father’s involvement, in terms of their confidence and school performance
(Ruhm, 2000; Sarkadi et a.l, 2008).
 Family Formation, Fathering,
Caregiving, and Domestic Roles
● Men may also contribute to “domestic enterprise” in other important
ways, including through providing financial support, accompanying
children inside and outside of school (National Center on Fathers and
Families, 2002)

● Better-educated men are more likely to put more time into domestic roles
and caregiving (Hernandez, 1996). Men’s schooling may have expanded
their sense of norms and weakened stereotypes through their exposure to
broader ideas and more diverse people.
Protest Masculinity
Caring Masculinity
● The emergence of caring masculinities in many parts of the world has
been assessed since the early 2000s and it reshaped male identities and
practices for gender equality improvements in societies (Wall et al., 2017).

● Caring masculinity emerged as a strong ally against hegemonic

masculinity.

● It proposed that men are able to adopt what is viewed as traditional

female characteristics (emotional expression, sensitivity, domestication,
interdependence, caring, etc.) without departing from or rejecting
masculinity (Elliot, 2015).
Caring Masculinity