Contemporary Societys Crisis of Masculinity Essay -- Papers Men Mascu

Contemporary Society's Crisis of Masculinity Works Cited Not Included Masculinity is the word used to describe the broad stereotyped traits traditionally ascribed to all males in British society and the notion of how men should appear and behave. It is more accurate to refer to 'masculinities', to reflect the complexity and diversity of masculinity today. There are important differences made between 'hegemonic' and 'subordinate' masculinities; hegemonic masculinity is the dominant western image - white, heterosexual and middle class, subordinate the diverse masculinities - homosexual men, black men and the working class. David Beckham is a modern icon who has expressed and challenged some of the dominant assumptions of masculinity and identity. He is a talented and committed footballer yet his experiments with fashion and his posing for shoots are taken by some as an affront to the conventionalities of traditional masculine behaviour. Rutherford stated that 'the reality of men's heterosexual identities is that their endurance is contingent upon an array of structures and institutions'. He believes that if these structures are threatened or weakened then masculine identities can be threatened or weakened. Rutherford thinks that five changes have undermined the male dominance of certain structures and institutions. These changes are 1) working-class masculinities threatened by the decline of heavy manual industry. Male unemployment has risen while female employment has increased. 2) Violent and sexual abuse of women and children has become more widely publicised and less tolerated. 3) Men's roles within the family have been questioned.... ... genuine rise in male dissatisfaction for which there are numerous causes. The growing assertiveness of women and the lack of women prepared to be the property of patriarchal men. Male power is being overthrown. There may be a crisis of masculinity, but 'Men still outnumber women in positions of power across the globe, still glower downwards through the glass ceiling, still strut the cabinet and boardrooms in every developed country in the world, the seeming masters of their fate and everybody else's. In the developing world the situation is even more unequal. The gender disparity in sharing the burden of unpaid work is stark, and for all the talk of equality women throughout the world continue to work longer hours than men and are paid very much less for it. The colonists are still in command.' (Clare, 2000)