What Does it Mean Masculinity Essay Example

Greer warns that masculinity running wild will produce what it fears the most, the “feminization” of men. Do men feel such pressure to “act like a man” that they have stopped trying? 

Greer’s statement can be stated to be promoting misogyny and masculinization theory. That is because it talks about the masculinity of men in terms of how they have been historically been taught. Thereby, it can be stated that men do feel the pressure to “act like a man” and to some extent it as caused them to stop trying. Firstly, a person will look into the aspect of masculinity. It can be observed that men have been conditioned to behave and act in certain ways in the society. Furthermore, there are some characteristics that are instilled in people and claimed to be manly, such as they should be strong, courageous, suppress emotions, confident, outspoken, tough, aggressive, demanding, and fearless (Salam). If any man is observed not to possess these qualities, then they are claimed to be less of a man. However, it has been discovered that suppressing emotions are very dangerous for the men. 

On the other hand, they are taught that women are inferior to them, warm, soft, weak, quiet and powerless. Hence, they grow up with this toxic mentality, which create misogynistic beliefs that make it easier for them to try and dominate women and use violence as a weapon to subdue them. Therefore, it can be stated that this mentality has adverse effects on the individuals (Salam). For example, it has been discovered that men with the masculinity mentality are aggressive and abusive towards women and what is claimed to be “feminine” men. These men believe in the patriarchy system and will object to anything less than this. Therefore, these men end up being bigots, misogynist and wife beaters (Levant 260). 

Masculinity has also been showcased in sports. That is because there are these cliché notions that sports, such as American football, baseball, basketball, wrestling, and soccer are meant for men. Hence, these types of men are observed to portray character traits like being aggressive, defensive and strong. Thereby, people without these traits are separated or discriminated against. Examples of such people are the transgender and homosexuals, who have a hard time in penetrating into this field and having accomplishments. It can also be observed from the movies that the superheroes are portrayed in manner that can be described as manly. That is because the media showcase these heroes as strong, aggressive and defensive (Wood 32). Hence, they have all the qualities to be able to protect the people, most especially the damsel in distress. However, with the passing of time there has been an evolution in the society due to the gay rights movements and Feminist movements that are trying to end their mistreatment and discrimination. Thereby, these organizations have changed the way people view masculinity in the world. 

Women’s Independence

Women are now becoming more independent, strong and courageous. Hence, exhibiting what was perceived to be a good characteristic of a real man. Moreover, there are other male movements that are formed in order to steer away from the social notion of masculinity (Longwood 65). Thus, the typical men are starting to take up the roles that were once claimed to be for women. For example, they become stay at home husbands and look after the homes and the children, while the wives go to work. It is also observed that some men wear make ups and gender neutral clothes. Hence, they are changing the aspect of what a real man is stated to be in the society. In a way, it can be stated that these changes are brought on by the pressure imposed on them about their gender and their roles in the community. 

Is there really a large gender role difference between the typical man and woman in or society today?

There is a significant difference between the typical man and woman in the society today. All these differences are brought on by a number of factors in the modern society. Examples of these factors are people’s ethnicity, race, religion and traditional customs. To begin with, gender roles can be stated to be the stereotypical duties formulated specifically for men and women (Oláh et al. 2). These roles have continued to persist. Hence, it can be stated that the patriarchal system still reigns within the modern society. People from various backgrounds continue to practice the traditional gender roles. Women are still treated as homemakers, while the men are in charge of the home and income (Oláh et al. 14). This practice is still very common and has continued to spread the masculinity notion among people and their children. However, it can be observed that there has been an evolution in the society. Gender roles have changed as both men and women are working and sometimes take turns in helping one another with the house chores. 

On the other hand, in most homes, both parents are working, but the women are still the ones that take more responsibility of caring for the children and homes (Oláh et al. 12). Hence, this indicates that the gender roles that have been defined by society are still the same. Therefore, male masculinity is still reigning and controlling the lives of people. However, family dynamics have changed in that single parenthood is high due to divorces, deaths and separation (Oláh et al. 2). It is also observed that the modern society is comprised of people with different sexuality. Thereby, it is breaking the traditional practice of heterosexuality and all its norms. These people are either homosexual or transgender. Homosexuals are comprised of same sex couples that cannot adhere to the same gender roles, since it has changed the family dynamics (Oláh et al. 2). Furthermore, the transgender community is made up of individuals, who have sex change. Therefore, they are changing the way traditional society has been conditioned. For these reasons, all these changes can be stated to bring about a lot of modifications in the society and this also includes gender roles. 

Work Cited

Levant, Ronald F. The new psychology of men. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 1996, 259–265. Print

Longwood, Merle W. Forging the Male Spirit: The Spiritual Lives of American College Men. Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2012, 65-66. Print 

Oláh, Livia Sz. et al. The new roles of men and women and implications for families and societies. Jounral of Families and Societies, 2014, 2-34. Print 

Salam, Maya. What Is Toxic Masculinity? 22 Jan 2019. <https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/22/us/toxic-masculinity.html>. Web

Wood, Julia T. Gendered Media: The Influence of Media on Views of Gender. Wadsworth Publishing, 1994, 31-39. Print