The Masculinity Of Women 's Masculinity

Women today are still battling with the stereotypes given to them many years ago. Women are seen as less than men, they are expected to stay home and take care of the children and absolutely never be more successful than a man. They are not supposed to be seen as the hero in a situation because heroes are seen as masculine men, not women. More shows and movies are starting to fight back against these stereotypes. One show in particular, NCIS or the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, portrays women as strong and successful. It gives women a chance to show how confident they can be in themselves and that they can also be considered the hero. NCIS shows through Abby and Ziva that women can be successful and the hero, which provides women with a strong and heroic role model to emulate.

‘Masculinity refers to the social roles, behaviours, and meanings prescribed for men in any given society at any one time… Although we experience gender to be an internal facet of identity, the concept of masculinity is produced within the institutions of society and through our daily interactions (Kimmel 2000)’ . As the type of behaviour and ideals that constitute as masculine vary depending on the social context of the time, the portrayal of masculinity in Beowulf and SGGK (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight) will be somewhat different. Traditional traits that are commonly regarded as fitting with the concept of masculinity include physical prowess, courage, honour and glory, and loyalty. The representation of these traits in the respective two poems will be explored in this essay and it will be argued that while the expectations of masculinity are very similar in both poems, there are some striking differences, particularly a much greater emphasis on the importance of a man achieving glory in Beowulf and a greater regard for life in SGGK.

As I grew up, my childhood was heavily surrounded in a boy's world where all of my cousins and my two younger siblings were all males. A household full of males taught me to embrace the "masculine" way of life because at a young age I was exposed to sports and play fighting as a way of displaying strength and superiority. On the other hand, part of embracing the masculinity of being a male also meant respecting females -- a lesson that was taught to me by my mom. In addition, Gender Role Behaviors and Attitudes by Aaron Devor stated, "The clusters of social definitions used to identify persons by gender are collectively known as femininity and masculinity."(505) It is said that gender roles is characterized with great differences and both genders

This essay focuses on ‘I Love You, Man’, and discusses about homosocial relationship between two men and explores ‘hegemonic masculinity’ and ‘the field of masculinity’ depicted in this film. ‘Hegemonic masculinity’, which is proposed by Connell (1987), is assumed to ‘the pattern of practice (i.e., things done, not just a set of role expectations or an identity) that allowed men’s dominance over women to continue.’ (Connell and Messerschmidt 2005, p.832) However, hegemonic masculinity has strong influence not only over women, but also over other men as Demetriou (2001, p.341) states. Hegemonic masculinity dominates subordinated masculinity as well as women. ‘The field of masculinity’, the theoretical model suggested by Coles

What does it take to be defined as masculine or feminine? Since the dawn of time there has always been this huge culteral divide between men and women in terms of what they may or may not be categorized as. Over the past few centuries there has been a massive reconstruction on what it takes for a man to be masculine and for a woman to be feminine. Surely we can say that both men and women have a drive to succeed through hardwork and dedication.

Firstly, one of the aspects of gender role is the distinction of roles based on masculinity and femininity or sex and gender. Before Blanche’s arrival, for Stanley being the masculine and the head of the house who is in absolute control and Stela being the woman of the house who takes care of the house: their relationship was happily as both know their part and were comfortable with it. As a motif, Stanley brings the food symbolizing that he is the man of the house and Stella cooks the food that Stanley provides and in this simplicity, their role is clear and defined. As Stanley and Stella conversing;

What was the most surprising thing you've learned from the readings about masculinities in the past? Do you see traces of these older models of masculinity still around today?

In this society we have created two distinct worlds for men and women, we have jobs that are considered masculine roles and feminine roles, colors to be worn by either a man or woman, and even foods that are eaten by a specific gender. People who wish to step out of what society considers acceptable face the consequences. For example, in the work place women are often paid less than their equal men colleagues. There are two perspective that account for behavioral, personality, and cognitive differences between men and women. The first states that it’s due to the evolution of our psychological disposition during the primeval time and the other emphasizes the effect that social roles have both men and women. Although the two theories differ greatly, they both emphasize the adaptation that both men and women had to undergo in response to environmental factors.

Encarta dictionary defines masculinity as “those qualities conventionally supposed to make a man an excellent specimen”; but what exactly are those qualities? Many would say that physical strength, ability to compete in sports, or even the ability to hold liquor are all parts of masculinity. In ancient Greece, they called this quality andreia, literally meaning “manliness”. In truth, masculinity is a much deeper trait that can be viewed differently by a variety of people. Realistically, masculinity cannot be defined universally. A man who is considered masculine in France would most definitely not be considered masculine in the Middle East, simply because the cultures in those areas of the world are vastly different in their beliefs and

Since the time of Florence Nightingale nursing has been popularly understood to be a highly gendered profession based on abilities of caring, helping, and nurturing – which are characteristics stereotypically identified with women and not men in the Western world (Cottingham, 2014; Rajacich, Kane, Williston, & Cameron, 2013; Stanley, 2012). Nightingale’s profound influence on nursing was filtered through the rigid Victorian cultural concepts of her time that viewed women as carers and helpers and men as active doers and experts, with white women of the middle class being the ideal helpers for knowledgeable and powerful male doctors whose primary function was scientific excellence and technical mastery and not the human dimension of caring, showing empathy, or serving others (Andrews, Stewart, Morgan, & D’Arcy, 2012; Cottingham, 2014). After Nightingale, the identification of femininity with nursing continued as the essentialist notion that women are carers and men are doers went essentially unchallenged (McMurry, 2011; Rajacich et al., 2013). This construction was based upon gendered notions of the characteristics of masculinity – defined as “hyper-heterosexuality, control, technical/physical competence, autonomy, and rationality” that are constructed as superior to “feminine” characteristics and deserve more respect, celebration, and recognition by society (Cottingham, 2014). In essence, to be a male and a nurse was therefore to be

Masculinity and femininity refers to the gender based roles assigned in a society. Masculine societies have clearly defined gender roles while gender roles overlap in feminine societies. Masculine societies place value on achievement of material wealth and competitiveness while feminine societies place value on maintaining good relationships, caring for the weak, and quality of life. As per Hofstede’s masculinity index, Italy is a fairly masculine society and ranks slightly higher than the US (Hofstede Insights, 2018). Even to this day, most Italian men still treat women with value machismo and gallantry. Even though women are allowed to enter the workforce, their numbers are low and few exist in the upper echelon positions. Households are

Scholars of Masculinity Studies analyse the emotional lives of men using various theories to show how masculinities are socially constructed and how men are expected even compelled, to behave in specific situations. Social conditioning, which encourages women to adopt certain codes of conduct, also compels men to behave in certain ways, such as, being the breadwinners of the family or accepting the taboo against emotional expressions of sorrow, love or tenderness. Male experiences of these taboos are not uniform but diverse and can produce different outcomes. The male characters as extensions of the broader social, political and cultural concerns of their particular context become sites for complex constructions of masculine identity especially

Large numbers of American boys are being remodeled by women. A strengthening movement in our civilization, charges mothers with the huge responsibility, of being both mom and dad. What are mothers to do, having to teach boys how to be men?

Masculinity deals with the value of gender differences in society, or the distribution of the emotional role between different genes. The values of masculine dimension (masculinity) contained the value of competitiveness, assertiveness, materialistic, ambition and power. The feminine dimension (femininity) places more value on the relationship and quality of life. In the masculine dimension, the distinction between gender roles appears to be more dramatic and less flexible than the feminine dimensions that see men and women share the same value, emphasizing simplicity and concern.

To lead a community into uncertainty in earlier times was based on whether you were able to physically protect the people within. The position of a leader one thousand years ago could only determined by physical strength. Since men are biologically structured to be stronger, this resulted in men being the first leaders of society. This culture of a male-dominated society based on the archaic view of physicality is composed of more flaws than fairness towards today’s larger component of society, women.