The Science Of Feminism: 9 Studies Of Gender (In)Equality

7. Effects of Hypermasculinity On Male Behaviour

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Dolce & Gabbana

Hypermasculinity is as much a product of a patriarchal society as the objectification of women, and it could be doing some serious damage to male wellbeing.

Hypermasculinity, sometimes called machismo, is characterised by an emphasis on violence, aggression, sexual prowess and lack of emotional displays. The implication is that to be a "real man", men and boys have to be angry, horny and generally stolid.

Studies have found that hypermasculinity is correlated with the propensity for violence and sexual violence against women. Not only that, the the emphasis on dominance normalises sexual violence and it becomes a right of the powerful man. In a study conducted in US colleges, 86 men were asked whether they would "rape a woman", only 13.6% said yes (worrying in itself), but when the same men were asked if they would "force a woman to have sex", the percentage rocketed up to 31.7%.

The masculine ideal is most commonly found in advertising aimed at young men for "manly stuff". The journey of the manly man is usually the struggle for dominance in every aspect of his life including work, relationships and even right down to which cologne he wears. 

Aside from the violence caused and condoned by the hypermasculine ideal, which causes harm to others, it can also negatively affect the men themselves.

The effect of this very narrow expression of male identity is that, by implication, every other expression of identity is inferior. With hypermasculinity framed as the ideal, it is implied that men who do not subscribe to that behaviour are doing so because they are "unable" to rather than "unwilling".

It has also been shown that the strict code of behaviour that men are expected to abide by puts them under and enormous amount of mental pressure.

From a young age, boys can begin to associate emotional expression and vulnerability with feelings of shame. This "boys don't cry" self-repression prevents them from developing proper emotional literacy and leaves them with an inability to deal with the emotional rigours of life, resulting in rampant mental health issues in men that simply go unaddressed.

 
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