HOFSTEDE

Masculinity vs Femininity
 MASCULINE FEMININE SOCIETY
SOCIETY

 a man can be called feminine and a woman can be called masculine

 1930 – variety of role devisions between the genders in different societies

 it matters whether the information comes from women or men, whether you collect the information from
women or men

 boy should be assertive, tough and focused on material succes

 woman should be focused on the quality of life

 most societies are somewhere in betweens

Masculine society
 work > family

 father deals with facts, mother deals with feelings

 admires the strong, disdain the weak, girls cry but boys
should not cry, boys fight but grils should not fight

 focuses on God

 sex is a way of performing

 salary > leisure

 social media is for fact gathering

 Japan Italy Mexico China Britain Germany USA

Feminine society
 Balance family and work

 man are also be modest and tender and focused ont he quality of life

 should deal with facts AND feelings

 boys and girls may cry but neither should fight

 focuses onthe fellow human being

 sex is a way for a couple to relate

 salary = leisure + longer vacation time

 social media is for developing relationships with the other users

 Arab countries France Russia Thailand Costa Rica Denmark the Netherlands
How to measure?
■ masculinity index MAS
-> scale from 0 for the most feminin society to a 100 for most masculine society
■ no relationship at all between the wealth of a country and the masc or fem. of a country

Highest masculinity
100 95
90 88
79
80 73
70
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Japan Hungary Austria Venezuela Italy
Japan
MASCULINITY (95)

■ One of the most masculine societies in the world

■ at kindergartens, children learn to compete on sports day for their groups
■ the drive for excellence and perfection in their material production
■ Perfection in their presentation (even gift wrapping)
■ It is still hard for women to climb up the corporate ladders in Japan
■ workaholism
Sweden
MASCULINITY (5)
■ Conflicts are resolved by compromise and negotiation -> Swedes are known for their
long discussion
■ Free time and flexible hours are important
■ The whole culture is based around ‘lagom’ -> not too much, not too little, not too
noticeable, everything in moderation
■ ensures that everybody has enough and nobody goes without
■ is enforced in society by “Jante Law” which should keep people “in place” at all times

-> It is a fictional law and a Scandinavian concept which counsels people not
to boast or try to lift themselves above others
EXAMPLE OF FRANCE :
MASCULINE SOCIETY

Cette photo par Auteur inconnu est soumise à la licence CC BY-SA-NC

Importance of work in France

■ Hofstede : ” In masculine society work is an acceptable

excuse to neglect the family”

■  For 70% of the French, work is very important

(against 40% for the Danish for example).

■ Taking time for family : normal, not admired.

Taking time for work : rewarding for a person.
■ Example : a housewife is often seen as a person who
does nothing during her days and often takes
advantage of her husband's work even if there are a lot
of things to do in a house and it’s a real job.
■ Ideal icon in France : an entrepreneur
Difference of education between the 2
genders in France.
■ When we raise childrens we have a vision
The girls are kind, generous, empathetic, calm and gentle.
Boys are courageous, energetic, independent, confident and
strong.
■ Example in France we will hear: “don't cry like a girl”
A girl can cry because she have more feelings than a boy
in the mind of peoples.
BUT IT’S NOT TRUE
■ Consequence : in France there are a disparity between
genders. Women occupy only a third of the positions in
the scientific field. But more positions in social field Cette photo par Auteur inconnu est soumise à la licence CC BY-NC
because she are considered more empathic and she end
up believing.