The Forty-Nine Percent Majority: The Male Sex Role

The psychology of men: Historical developments, current research, and future directions.

“…Among the first prominent writings in this area was by David and Brannon (1976), who asserted that like race or ethnicity, gender was an identity enacted across different spheres of life. This was a key development in the study of men and masculinity because it moved the construct of masculinity away from biology and emphasized the depth to which cultural definitions of masculinity could be internalized.…”

“…These labels were the first attempt to quantify what current scholars have labeled hegemonic masculinity (Connell & Messerschmidt, 2005, p. 829; see also O'Neil, 2010)-essentially, the content of what society defines as acceptable masculine values and behaviors under which men are expected to align their identities. Even in the 21st century, men are expected to become successful and important in their lives, and especially in their jobs, as evidence of David and Brannon's (1976) Big Wheel identity. Multicultural research in general, however, has pointed out the importance of also understanding the roles of power and privilege in understanding the enactment of the male gender role.…”

Dominant masculinity and marginalized sexuality: Extending minority stress theory for gay and bisexual+ men.

“…Yet, it also appears to have costs to their well-being. In addition to achievement-related masculine norms, "sturdy oak" masculine scripts (David & Brannon, 1976) which suggest that men should be invulnerable, not ask for help, and control their emotional expression (i.e., self-reliance, emotional control) may also contribute to sexual minority men isolating themselves from others through concealment of their sexual orientation to avoid the vulnerable feelings in anticipation of possible negative social reactions. Furthermore, sexual minority men may choose to exercise their male power by conforming to blatant sexism (i.e., power over women) or accumulating sexual partners through nonrelational sexuality (i.e., playboy) to attain a dominant masculine identity (see Hale & Ojeda, 2018).…”

Social class and masculinity.

“…As much as social class and classism are co-constructs, intimately tied and symbiotically related, so is the understanding of masculinity and social class. Dominant messages of masculinity, such as be the "Big Wheel" (David & Brannon, 1976), are another means of motivating men to be important but also to be economically successful; in fact, in an American capitalist society, it is very likely that importance, notoriety, and power are all related to wealth, affluence, and money. Historically as well, the construction of the dominant man was related to race (i.e., being White) but also to the accumulation of wealth via ownership (Harris, 1995).…”