A Thousand Miles from Kind: Men, Masculinities and Modern Institutions

Abstract

Understanding institutions is vital for understanding masculinities. The connection is acknowledged in popular culture, and explored in a body of recent social-science research on gendered institutions and organizational masculinities. Some leading examples of this research are discussed. Key findings include the pervasiveness of gender processes in organizational life, the diversity of organizational masculinities, and the significance of links between institutions. Difficulties in this research are discussed, including a tendency to stereotyping, the limits of discursive gender theory, and the unexamined assumptions of theory constructed in the global North. It is now necessary to move to a world level of analysis, and some of the prospects and problems of understanding masculinity in globalized institutions are explored.

Declining to Decline: Aged Tough Guys in 'The Expendables' and 'The Expendables 2'

“…As actors who rely on their hard-boiled bodies for employment, ageing and changes in the cultural understanding of masculinity threaten their professional careers in an industry which is obsessed with youth and highly dependent on sensing and following current cultural standards (Boyle andBrayton 2012, Chivers 2011). Having somehow exceeded their expiry date, these musclemen now perform and employ their masculinity, 'interpassively', in the service of and in place of (Pfaller 2003) the hegemonic group of men such as Church in the two films or film producers in the real world (Connell 2009, Pyke 1996. Although out of fashion, their roughness and toughness, physical power and aggression aid the hegemonic group of men in maintaining their patriarchal dominance.…”

Gendered Dynamics of Wildland Firefighting in Australia

“…Working within a structuralist paradigm, hegemonic masculinity considers the configuration of gender practice. Connell (2005) explains this configuration as the embodiment of 'acceptable' behaviour in response to the problematic legitimacy of patriarchy. This behaviour secures the dominant position of men and the subordination of women.…”

“…Building on the work of Eriksen (2014a) to interpret the organisational culture of the NPWS, we draw on hallmarks of Connell's (2005) gender framework. We explore how hegemonic masculinity: (a) occupies a dominant way of being within a patriarchal society, (b) naturalises men's dominance over…”

“…This behaviour secures the dominant position of men and the subordination of women. Hegemonic masculinity was initially discussed to problematize universalising claims about men and helped to untangled gender hierarchies, plurality of masculinities, and struggles for dominance (Connell 2005). Eriksen's (2014a) work underscores how gender inequalities are reproduced through a range of practices that sustain a hegemonic firefighting masculinity, from everyday language around operational terminology (such as war euphemisms), choice of uniforms, office layouts, the desirable skills listed in job advertisements and the number of men and women on recruitment panels, to consultation and briefing styles.…”

“…The first section outlines Connell's (2005) concept of hegemonic masculinity to investigate the gendered dynamics of firefighting, and how this concept enables us to explore masculinities and femininities as configurations of practices that are socially constructed, embodied, unfold and change over time. The second section provides an overview of the research methods.…”