Masculinity- sociology

Types of masculinity

Hegemonic masculinity- this is the streotypical 'lad'- they have a dominant masculinity
Subordinate masculinity- this is the complete oposite to hegemonic masculinty and goes against the dominant masculinity
complicit masculinity- also known as the new man- they have some aspects of a hegemonic masculinty but are also not afraid to look after the children or do the housework
marginalised masculnity- describes how some examples are not rejected outright but are not seen as legitimate

1 of 4

adapts a functionalist approach, but doesn't see masculinity as an inevitable feature of all societies
he discusses how masculinity is defined
he belives that masculinity is not entirely biology
agrees with the feminist view that it is biological sex and cultural norms that make up a persons masculinity
Gilmore identifies 3 main typical features of masculinity, found in most societies. these are; Man the impregnator, man the provider, and man the protector.
all of these characteristics have something in common- they are all either dangerous or competitive and failure carries a high cost
Gilmore does, however say that in some societies, masculinity has a different meaning.
although his ideas have been criticised, they successfully show the importance of culture in influencing ideologies of masculinity.

2 of 4

focuses on men in Western societies
masculinity in western societies is linked to the thinking and beliefs associated with enlightenment
this then emphasised reason and objective science, and rejected emotion
science became dominated by men because they were seen as the only sex that was capable of rational thinking
emotions then became less valued then reason and women often feel that only they have emotional needs and demands
men's association with reason then contributed and maintained a male patriarchal power at every level
men tell women to calm down and that they are irrational and then see themselves as the neutral voice of reason
This is not based on a detailed empirical approach and is instead based on abstract.
it reflects a subjective white, middle-class Jewish masculinity

3 of 4

looked at how masculinity is changing and at the variety of meanings masculinity can have
he rejects biological determinism, cultural determinism and those that see gender as a result of a combination of biology and culture and believes that the body is an active agent in social relationships biology and culture and fused

4 of 4