Reactions to Contemporary Narratives about Masculinity: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Masculinity is frequently talked about in contemporary Western media as being in crisis, needing reform or even being 'toxic'. However, no research to date has assessed the impact that this pervasive narrative might be having on people, particularly men themselves. This cross-sectional online pilot survey asked 203 men and 52 women (mean + SD age 46 + 13) their opinions about the terms toxic masculinity, traditional masculinity, and positive masculinity, and how they would feel if their gender was seen as the cause of their relationship or job problems. Most participants thought the term toxic masculinity insulting, probably harmful to boys, and unlikely to help men's behaviour. Having feminist views, especially being anti-patriarchy, were correlated with more tolerance of the term toxic masculinity. Most participants said they would be unhappy if their masculinity or femininity were blamed for their work or relationship problems. Further analysis using multiple linear regression found that men's self-esteem was significantly predicted by older age, more education, and a greater acceptance of traditional masculinity. Men's mental positivity-which is known to be negatively correlated with suicidality-was significantly predicted by older age, a greater acceptance of traditional masculinity, and more education. Implications for the mental health of men and boys are discussed in relation to the narrative around masculinity in the media, social sciences, and in clinical psychology.

Suggestions to improve outcomes for male victims of domestic abuse: a review of the literature

“…Another common concern of male victims of DA is how male gender roles impact them, the way they behave, and the way they see themselves in the wake of the abuse (Arnocky and Vaillancourt 2014). If service providers engage in conversation with men about masculinity, use of the phrase 'toxic masculinity' should be avoided as many men find this to be an insulting term (Barry et al 2020).…”

“…Instead, conversations should be framed around positive masculinity and how men conceptualize masculinity in their lives (Barry et al 2020;Englar-Carlson and Kiselica 2013). Counselling should address men's experiences of being stereotyped in their communities and offer personal strategies to help them ignore or combat such experiences (Hogan et al 2012;Perryman and Appleton 2016).…”

Not All Migrant Men Embrace Toxic Masculinity, Do They?

“…The last one is "hegemonic masculinity" which is sometimes named as "toxic masculinity". Although these two definitions cover the different aspects of masculinity sometimes one is being used in the place of the other (Barry, Walker, et al, 2020). In her work named Masculinities (1995), Connell also highlighted that the gender norms have a negative impact on emotional lives of men (Dognin, Chen, 2018).…”

“I Cannot Wait to Build that One Day”: Lesbian and Bisexual College-Age Women’s Views on Marriage and Family

“…As the LGBT community gains visibility and rights, heteronormative legal and social structures are increasingly challenged. Concepts and constructs of masculinity (Agozino & Agu, 2021; Barry, 2020), athleticism (Lenzi, 2017), occupational fit (Dicke, Safavian, & Eccles, 2019), sexual behavior (Lindley et al, 2020), and gender roles (Aboim, 2020) are in a period of rampant evolution and refinement in the United States. McBride and Parry (2016) offers a comprehensive analysis of gender roles in the United States, specifically for women.…”