What is masculinity in a contemporary Australian context?
Background: Social norms around gender have been rapidly changing around the world. As a psychological variable, “masculinity” may be at a “critical juncture” in Australia where old definitions are now open to challenge and where new and more useful definitions may be necessary. Methods: The pre...
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MRE Press
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Journal of Men's Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://oss.jomh.org/files/article/20250228-501/pdf/JOMH2024071902.pdf |
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| Summary: | Background: Social norms around gender have been rapidly changing
around the world. As a psychological variable, “masculinity” may be at a
“critical juncture” in Australia where old definitions are now open to
challenge and where new and more useful definitions may be necessary.
Methods: The present exploratory study investigated the meaning(s) of
masculinity in a contemporary setting with data derived from semi-structured
interviews with 39 adult Australian citizens or permanent residents for whom
issues of masculinity likely resonated. The present study employed a qualitative
methodology with thematic analysis used to examine contemporary accounts of
masculinity among 39 participants (18 males, 15 females and 6 non-binary) aged
between 21 and 74 years (Mean Age = 36.1 years, Standard Deviation = 17.18) and
recruited from a large capital city of Melbourne and a regional city of Geelong.
Results: Thematic analysis identified three broad themes, namely (1)
“Physical and Performative”, whereby physicality was important in contemporary
versions of what is masculine, with masculinity also typically deemed a
performance or persona; (2) “Prosocial Masculinity”, in that it now
incorporates mostly positive attributes; and (3) Is “Evolving” from old
stereotypes usually seen as dysfunctional to attributes now viewed as essentially
human qualities. Conclusions: The present findings suggest there exists
a “myriad of masculinities” that are largely performative with characteristics
once labelled as “masculine” no longer viewed as gendered phenomena. For some
interviewees, the label of masculinity is outdated, playing little to no role in
their lives. The concept of masculinity in Australia, or at least in this sample,
appears in transition, with the present findings suggesting that it is indeed at
a “critical juncture” with new meanings emerging and where new and more useful
concepts may need to be considered. |
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| ISSN: | 1875-6867 1875-6859 |