Essay On Masculinity

📌Category: Gender Equality, Social Issues
📌Words: 1008
📌Pages: 4
📌Published: 07 September 2021

The idea of masculinity is something that affects boys and men around the world. Having gender roles being replaced at a young age by watching those around them, gives them this idea that they have to uphold this certain lifestyle. When you think about gender stereotypes you think about women at home taking care of things around the house and family, while the men have jobs and provide an income for the family. Over the years these stereotypes have merged, with women having stable jobs and being able to make an income for the family and household. However, with men fitting into the female roles like cooking and cleaning at home it creates a sense of threat to their masculinity. Their sense of being “The Man” is being taken away from them when in women roles. In Poland and Norway a study was done to examine mens responses to the emotional threat of their masculinity when gender stereotypes start to merge. The study was conducted with a questionnaire to men about the gender stereotypes for men and women. This study was conducted to show how the stereotypes that are placed on men negatively impact them now that gender roles are starting to merge. When you take two different countries who hold different views on gender roles, it shows the difference in how men react to the study. All this research is to show society that gender roles when heavily pressured can have a negative impact on people and it is not healthy to put that pressure on people. 

The study was conducted with men ranging from ages eighteen years old and older. Factors of sexuality since their views on gender roles may be different and the amount of time the survey took to ensure the results are taken seriously. Each participant was given a consent form and took a test that questions male and female gender topics. However, some participants were given false results and were asked with a questionnaire their discomfort towards the results they received. For example, a participant that tested very high on masculinity was given results of femininity to see how they would respond to the results. They were asked to show how they felt based on a scale and if it made them feel that their masculinity was threatened in some way. After the study was taken the results showed that many had negative emotions towards their results. Based on the results it shows that the two countries had different outcomes, but they also have different views on gender roles. In Poland they have stronger values in having gender roles for men and women. They tend to go by the traditional ways of women and men staying within these stereotypes. You can see that by the results of the study showing that Polish men had greater discomfort towards the fake results of their questionnaire. In Norway their views on the gender roles in their society is that they are comfortable with the merging of the roles for men and women. This affects the results of the study since even though there were a big number for discomfort, it was prominently less than Poland. 

In today's society it seems that these gender roles are not as strictly pressured amongst young people and that even though as a whole it isn't pressure, it still is in some places. This study is to show how as gender roles may be merging together the roles being swapped isn’t ideal for both parties. When you tell a woman that she is taking part in the male stereotype it will not negatively affect her. This is a different story for men however.  When it comes to men and women gender roles the stereotypes they face are different and in some people's eyes hold different values. Women are typically told to keep up with the house and maintain the family. This can mean cooking, cleaning, and maintaining the household; for men it is a different story. Men are told to get a job and financially support their entire family and to protect them against hardship. The issue with men taking on women's gender roles is that they have less opportunity and can seem unmasculine. This can cause a rift in how the men feel about stepping outside their gender role. By conducting this study it shows how hurtful these gender stereotypes can affect men in a negative way. These gender roles become a part of them and their views on life. When that view of life is put in jeopardy it creates negative emotions towards it. 

As children the environment that surrounds them is what conforms to their views and morals in life. So a child grown up around violence may be more violent than others, and someone who grew up in a calm environment will be calmer. So in Poland when these men are grown up in strict views about gender roles and are given this pressure to uphold these roles it gives a sense of masculinity. When that masculinity is taken away it threatens them to have that type of anger when told otherwise. While in Norway, the results come out different than Poland because their views on gender roles are not heavily pressured upon their society. Men are given the amount of pressure to uphold society's views on what they think they should accomplish. I think this study is to show that as a whole we should not conform to these gender stereotypes when it has a negative impact on people. There should be no sense of threat when being told you show feminine qualities. For the future this study shows that the pressure to stay home and clean is not something women need to follow. As for men, having a wealthy job to provide for their family is not something they should do alone. It should be taught that both men and women get good jobs and maintain their households. It should not be looked down on when a man stays home and the woman works. If a man has a typical “feminine” job, and a woman has a “masculine” job, it should be looked at as normal. I personally think that this research is very important since it shows that gender roles and stereotypes should not be important to society. That we should promote individuality for all people to do what they want and love. These stereotypes may be fit for some people, but for those who don’t they should be free to do so without judgment.

+
x
Remember! This is just a sample.

You can order a custom paper by our expert writers

Order now
By clicking “Receive Essay”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement. We will occasionally send you account related emails.