Week 7 - Masculinity
Patriarchy: the rule of the father
traditional
young and low-status men and women are subordinated
only men were legally and socially allowed to act freely outside the home
problem: men are seen as people first and men second; women are seen as women first and human second
democratic brotherhood
distribution of citizenship rights to a certain class of men
formal gender equality
legal requirement that men and women be treated as equal citizens
modified patriarchies
gender egalitarianism is the default of modern societies
women have been granted formal equality but
the patriarchal conflation of power and masculinity remains a central part of contemporary life
Relations of inequality
sexism: prejudice against people based on biological sex (favoring the male)
androcentrism: gender-based prejudice - granting of higher status, respect, value, reward, and power to the masculine compared to the feminine
subordination: placing of women into positions that make them subservient to or dependent on men
Gender for men
Male flight
men abandon feminizing arenas of life.
once an activity or thing becomes feminized, it becomes devalued
it can be dangerous (socially and physically) for men to perform femininity
Hegemonic masculinity
hegemony: the state of collective consent to inequality that is secured by the idea that it is inevitable, natural, or desirable
widespread consent to relations of systemic social disadvantage
hegemonic masculinity: type of masculine performance, idealized by men and women alike, that functions to justify and naturalize gender inequality
“real men”
theoretically embodies all the positive traits of masculinity
ex: CEO’s money, politician’s power, Hollywood charm, family man’s dedication and loyalty, construction workers manual skills, frat boys tolerance for alcohol, playboys virility
exculpatory chauvinism: the phenomenon in which negative characteristics ascribed to men are offered as acceptable justifications of men’s dominance over women
hierarchy of men: a rough ranking of men from most to least masculine
no single man will ever be able to approximate the full scope of hegemonic masculinity
men’s disadvantage can outweigh their masculine advantage (race, class, ability)
emasculation: a loss of masculinity
fragile masculinity
“masculinity is so fragile that apparently even the slightest brush with the feminine destroys it”
precarious masculinity: the idea that manhood is more difficult to earn and easier to lose than womanhood
compensatory masculinity: acts undertaken to reassert one’s manliness in the face of a threat
hypermasculinity
extreme conformity to the more aggressive rules of masculinity
performances naturalize men’s violence, aggression, and anger
men are not naturally violent, but rather socialized into it and enforced by others through interactions
this can cause harm to others and the self
hybrid masculinities: versions of masculinity that selectively incorporate symbols, performances, and identities that society associates with women or low status men
How to undo harmful masculinity
potentially undermine the importance of gender distinction
give femininity value
de-gender hierarchical relationships
deconstruct the hierarchy of masculinity
Patriarchal Bargain
accepts or legitimizes the downsides of patriarchy in order to experience the upsides
ex: “locker room talk” or disparaging talk about women in order to gain status with other men
Key Terms
patriarchy: “the rule of the father”; refers to the control of female and younger male family members by select adult men
democratic brotherhood: the distribution of citizenship rights to certain classes of men
formal gender equality: the legal requirement that men and women be treated more or less the same
modified patriarchies: societies in which women have been granted formal gender equality but the patriarchal conflation of power with men and masculinity remains a central part of daily life
sexism: the favoring of one sex over the other, both ideologically and in practice
androcentrism: the granting of higher status, respect, value, reward, and power to the masculine compared to the feminine
subordination: the placing of women into positions that make them subservient to or dependent on men
male flight: a phenomenon in which men abandon feminizing arenas of life
hegemony: a state of collective consent to inequality that is secured by the idea that it is inevitable, natural, or desirable
hegemonic masculinity: a type of masculine performance, idealized by the majority, that functions to justify and naturalize gender inequality
exculpatory chauvinism: a phenomenon in which negative characteristics ascribed to men are presented as “natural” and offered as acceptable justifications of men’s dominance over women
hierarchy of masculinity: a rough ranking of men from most to least masculine, with the assumption that more is always better
masculinities: different ways of doing masculinity, arrayed in a hierarchy, that are more or less available to people with different social positions, intersectional identities, and contexts of interaction
emasculation: a loss of masculinity
precarious masculinity: the idea that manhood is more difficult to ear and easier to lose that femininity
compensatory masculinity: acts undertaken to reassert one’s manliness in the face of a threat
colorism: a racist preference for light over dark skin
hypermasculinity: extreme conformity to the more aggressive rules of masculinity
toxic masculinity: enactments of masculinities that are harmful both to the men who enact them and to the people around them
patriarchal bargain: a deal in which an individual or group accepts or even legitimates some of the costs of patriarchy in exchange for receiving some of it’s rewards
hybrid masculinities: a collection of gender strategies that selectively incorporate symbols, performances, and identities that society associates with women or low status men