The Perils of Being a Nice Guy: Contextual Variation in Five Young Women’s Constructions of Acceptable Hegemonic and Alternative Masculinities

Abstract

Masculinity is often studied as produced and enacted by men, unintentionally positioning women as mere consumers of masculinity, rather than active agents in its construction. This study explored five young South African women’s constructions of masculinity in the contexts of work, friendships, family, and romantic relationships and the contextual variation of acceptable masculinity across contexts. While they advocated nonhegemonic ‘‘nice guy’’ masculinities in social and work contexts, they appealed strongly to ‘‘hegemonic’’ or traditional masculine ideals in romantic and family contexts. It seems that these women were particularly willing to accept subjugation to engage in ideals of romantic partnership congruent with emphasized femininity. This study demonstrates that (1) contextual variation is a very important feature in the production of hegemonic masculinity and (2) analyzing masculinity from women’s perspectives may provide valuable insight into the contribution that women make to the construction and maintenance of counterfeminist masculine ideals and identity frameworks.