“Saving Our Boys!”: Do Chinese Boys Have a Masculinity Crisis?

Abstract

The issue of the boy (masculinity) crisis was examined in both the global and Chinese contexts. To examine the authenticity of the masculinity crisis in China, we first historicized the debate on the boy crisis between Yunxiao Sun (孙云晓) and An'qi Xu (徐安琪) in China and its implications. Then, we examined the contributing factors to the masculinity crisis from the social-ecological perspective, which encompasses the familial (helicopter parenting style), educational (burdensome academic pressure), and societal (feminine and misleading social media) factors. We concluded that the Chinese masculinity crisis has evolved into a socio-cultural issue in recent years. We suggest the potentials of gender-relevant pedagogy and the collective capability among various stakeholders in addressing the boy crisis.

Developmental antecedents of adherence to masculinity norms: A 9-year longitudinal study of urban Chinese families.

“…Moreover, we expect to find a stronger effect on boys because boys may face greater social pressure to conform to masculinity norms from a younger age (R. Yang et al, 2019; Zhu et al, 2022).…”

“…Yu & Sui, 2022). Under such ideology, Chinese adolescent boys face increasing pressure to conform to these masculinity norms (Zhu et al, 2022). Although data on masculinity-related bullying cases in China may be limited, media reports have highlighted cases of boys deviating from these norms being severely bullied in both schools and cyberspace (Yip, 2021).…”

“…We hypothesize that (a) traditional parental gender beliefs will positively predict boys' masculinity adherence and negatively predict girls' adherence at age 10 years and (b) maternal sensitivity during infancy will have a negative main effect on both boys' and girls' adherence to masculinity norms at age 10 years. Moreover, we expect to find a stronger effect on boys because boys may face greater social pressure to conform to masculinity norms from a younger age (R. Yang et al, 2019;Zhu et al, 2022).…”

“…The media often contrasts these feminine male images with an idealized version of Western men, representing a stronger form of masculinity (Song, 2022). Some educators and parents, attributing boys’ feminization to the school system, have advocated for promoting masculinity through increased physical education classes and the hiring of male teachers since the 2010s (Hernández, 2016; Zhu et al, 2022). This ideology has received endorsement from the Ministry of Education of China, as indicated in a recent letter addressing the “Prevention of Feminization of Male Teenagers” (Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China, 2021).…”

Cultivating "Masculinity": Where Does China's Anxiety about Masculinity Come From?

“…This idea has spread to these days, and most people in China still identify men (especially young men) as tough men who carry the burden of the nation [21]. To mainstream critics, "being a real man" means rejecting everything that has to do with femininity [22]. As they always have been, parents are taught that men should not cry and represent a powerful image of the nation [23].…”