Men and Masculinities

Gonzalez, Samantha; Bernales, Margarita

doi: 10.1177/1097184x231156909pmid: N/A

The study of masculinities in Latin America is becoming increasingly relevant; however, trans men (TM) have been highly disregarded. This is problematic, given that the transmasculine population can highlight tension upon the binary gender practices. Latin American research has maintained a biomedical perspective, with emphasis on sexual readjustment treatments, ignoring the subjective experience of TM regarding their identity construction, and the sociocultural implications of experiencing their identity as men, considering Latin American gender patterns and machismo. Under this premise, 14 Chilean TM were interviewed. Results show the heteronormative demands imposed on TM, which determine the expectations and interpretations associated with their transition process. This leads TM to perpetuate stereotypical gender patterns, which is a survival strategy, and at the same time promotes the maintenance of patriarchal privileges. In a transversal manner, it was observed that TM have new perspectives on masculinity, which allow for the questioning of traditional gender roles.

Bagaporo, Jennefer Lyn L.; Papadelos, Pam

doi: 10.1177/1097184x231191470pmid: N/A

Despite the Philippines’ history of five decades of prolonged violent conflicts and internal displacements, majority of which are in its southern island of Mindanao, studies exploring the enactments of masculinities of noncombatant men are few. Using 31 life stories of Filipino men who experienced conflict-induced internal displacement, complemented by in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and community profiles, the present article demonstrates how these Filipino men constructed an ideal masculinity compounded by imprints of a colonial history, especially the resistance towards integration into colonial Philippines by Muslims in Mindanao. Additionally, their constructions of idealized masculinities are reflective of their negotiation between context and adherence to local hegemonic masculinities in Philippine society that legitimizes unequal gender relations. We argue that Filipino men’s accounts of ideal masculinity and their aspirations to this model reflect ongoing negotiation between immediate circumstances and persistent adherence to local hegemonic masculinities.

Carian, Emily K.; Abromaviciute, Jurgita

doi: 10.1177/1097184x231192026pmid: N/A

We draw on 31 in-depth interviews with fathers in different-sex couples to examine how their masculine performances contributed to the gender gap in household labor during the COVID-19 pandemic. The structural conditions of the pandemic created more and more intensive labor for families with young children, and we argue these conditions provided fathers with an opportunity to perform hybrid masculinities (i.e., masculinities that incorporate elements of non-hegemonic or subordinated masculinities or femininities) while simultaneously maintaining their families' unequal divisions of labor. The fathers in this study (1) exaggerated their childcare and housework contributions and commitment to egalitarianism, (2) decoupled inequality from unfairness, and (3) delayed changes in their household labor until their wives reached their breaking points. In the context of the pandemic, these hybrid masculinities exacerbated intra-couple inequality with potentially long-lasting consequences for marital satisfaction and women’s health and careers. Our study demonstrates how the very conditions that pigeonholed mothers into more traditional, restrictive routines allowed fathers to engage in new and more expansive gendered practices.

Siles-Bárcenas, Isaac Ali

doi: 10.1177/1097184x231151630pmid: N/A

The literature on men and masculinities has established a clear and complex link between masculinity and violence. I contribute to the study of that link by exploring the relationship that men students from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) have had with violence along their life trajectories and in their everyday experience. I discuss this in relation to the notion of the “masculinity mandate” put forth by feminist scholar Rita L. Segato. Through the analysis of 43 in-depth interviews with undergraduate students, I show how these young men have incorporated various forms of violence to their action repertoire to keep their masculine positions and identities stable in different moments in their lives. In many cases, this has also meant these men have had to position themselves vis-à-vis violence walking away from it, manifestly rejecting it, or overtly challenging it. Likewise, students are embarked in a process of negotiation with the different denunciations of masculine violence put forth mostly by mobilized feminist collectives and public discourse within their university context and in the city at large.

Reneses, Pablo A.; Bosch, Tanja

doi: 10.1177/1097184x231188681pmid: N/A

Social media has become a central arena for debates around feminism and gender in South Africa. One recent example can be found in the hashtag #MenAreTrash, which has been a trending topic multiple times on South African Twitter. However, despite the prevalence of gender-based violence in the country, these conversations have also come under strong criticism, especially from men. Existing literature on social media expressions of misogyny and anti-feminism has primarily focused on North American and European case studies. This article expands existing literature by analyzing men’s reactions to the #MenAreTrash hashtag and highlighting the role and backlash against feminism in South Africa. Based on a thematic analysis of 600 tweets, this article explores the discursive strategies employed by South African cisgender men on Twitter in response to the #MenAreTrash hashtag. Beyond some marginal yet relevant examples of reflexibility and allyship, the overwhelmingly negative response from men online, as found by the study, reflected a lack of self-reflection about their masculinity. The article provides additional insights into the role of digital feminist activism in shaping networked masculinities in the South African context.

Weiner, Elaine

doi: 10.1177/1097184x231192024pmid: 37840754

In its early uptake and sweeping application of gender mainstreaming, the European Union (EU) sits in the vanguard. However, bringing a gender perspective to bear on policy has proven a stubborn challenge. Drawing on Bacchi’s “What’s the Problem Represented to Be?” approach and her conceptualization of policies as gendering practices, I critically interrogate how men have been implicated in the problem of gender inequality via policy discourse in the EU. I focus on violence against women/gender-based violence and gender inequalities in education. Analysis of these two issues serves to highlight some of the interpretive limits to the problem of gender inequality in the EU and likely beyond. The discursive elusiveness of men works to keep much of the workings of gender power obscured. Such discounting of “the man question” signals a significant misstep that undercuts gender mainstreaming’s transformative prospects.

Govender, Diloshini; Bhana, Deevia

doi: 10.1177/1097184x221143135pmid: N/A

Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork, this article examines how 8–9-year-old South African boys construct and negotiate heterosexual masculinities in the primary school. Situated within a racially diverse schooling context comprised of a mixed class of middle and low income Indian and Black boys, we offer insights into how race and class structures intersect with masculinities to create hierarchies of power as boys navigate the pressures of compulsory heterosexuality. Boys’ investment in the male provider role and in aspiring to material shows of wealth—such as wearing expensive clothing—as key ways to engender heterosexual relationships, was also nuanced by race and class. While such practices defined boys’ masculinities, failure to conform to normative masculine behaviour subjected them to homophobic teasing thus pointing to the regulatory mechanisms through which heterosexual masculinity was policed. The study contributes to the growing field of young masculinities in South Africa as we consider its local manifestations and gendered performances.

Ward, Jane

doi: 10.1177/1097184x221145957pmid: N/A

Eleazar, Alexandra

doi: 10.1177/1097184x221148207pmid: N/A