Masculinity and gender in society

Gender Studies · Concepts and theory. The idea in plain words, the rules to remember, the mistake to avoid and a worked example, written and checked by Mega Lecture.

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The idea

Gender studies also examines men. Masculinity is the set of expectations and behaviour a society links with being male. It is learned, not given by biology, so it differs across cultures and changes over time.

R. W. Connell argued that every society has several masculinities arranged in a hierarchy. Hegemonic masculinity is the most honoured ideal of manhood, for example the strong, unemotional provider. Few men fully match it, yet it sets the standard and supports men's dominance over women and over other men.

The family, the school and the media are the main agents that teach gender roles. They work through toys and chores, the hidden curriculum, and repeated images of women and men.

Rules to remember

Connell, Masculinities (1995): hegemonic, complicit, subordinated and marginalised masculinities.
Complicit masculinity: men who do not fit the ideal but still benefit from men's advantage.
Male gender role: provider and protector who hides weakness; the male breadwinner model has the husband earning and the wife keeping the home.
The family is the first agent of gender socialisation.
Hidden curriculum: unwritten messages in school life that teach gender roles.
Symbolic annihilation (Gaye Tuchman): the media under-represent women and show them in narrow roles.
Social learning theory (Albert Bandura): children learn roles by observing and imitating models, with reinforcement.

Common mistake

Students write that hegemonic masculinity is how most men behave. It is the dominant ideal, which only a minority of men fully achieve.

Worked example

An office worker is quiet and not at all dominant. He still enjoys higher pay and faster promotion than his women colleagues and never questions this. Which of Connell's masculinities does he show?

He does not live up to the hegemonic ideal of the dominant man.
He is not looked down on by other men, so he is not subordinated or marginalised.
He accepts the benefits that men as a group gain from the gender order without challenging it.

Answer: Complicit masculinity.

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