Male Role Research Articles

Positive and Negative Gender Role Beliefs and Intimate Partner Violence.

An ethnically diverse sample of 384 male and female undergraduates was assessed for their gender role beliefs based on positive (family responsibility) vs. negative (male dominance and female submissiveness) aspects derived from Hispanic cultural traditions. Negative male and female gender role beliefs were significantly positively correlated with reported victimization by and perpetration of severe intimate partner violence (IPV) for both men and women. Positive male gender role beliefs were negatively correlated with reported victimization by and perpetration of IPV for both men and women, with women also providing some evidence that positive female gender role beliefs were associated with less IPV.

Women’s Revenge in Sexual Behavior? An Interpretation About “The Fourth Love” in Chinese Youth Culture From the Perspective of Gender Performativity

In the current era of exploring changing sexual behavior, promoting and supporting the diversity of pleasure, the sexual health and rights of sexual minorities are getting more public attention, among which the “Fourth Love” emerges as a distinctive group within the framework of Chinese culture. Fourth Love refers to a loving relationship between couples of the opposite sex where the woman assumes the traditional male gender role and the man assumes the traditional female gender role, and always accompanied by a special pattern of sexual behavior that women penetrate the men’s anus using their fingers or a device. This theoretical article begins by introducing and discussing the historical background, core concept “Fourth Love” and its related categories. Subsequently, we start from Judith Butler’s gender performativity theory and interpret the Fourth Love from the perspective of “de-naturalization” and argue that the gender performativity theory provides a reasonable explanation for the gender characteristics (female top and male bottom) of the Fourth Love. Finally, we posit a discussion and outlook on the survival and development of the Fourth Love in the fields of sexual health, sexual pleasure, sexual right, and family and marriage, and calls for more understanding and psychological support from the society for them.

A Comparison of Women's Image in Women's Films in Chinese and Western Cultures from a Female Perspective --Carol and Woman-Demon-Human

In the different cultural backgrounds of China and the West, the trend of feminism and related films is different. The image of women is an important part of Chinese and Western culture and a special product of the times, which is extremely important for the understanding of female subjects and social development. Based on the films Woman-Demon-Human and Carol, this paper aims to explore the survival status of women and the manifestation of feminist awakening in different times from the aspects of feminism, self-consciousness, and gender differences, to show the dilemmas and struggles faced by women in modern China and the West, as well as the impact of gender manifestation on women. Women who can break through the inherent pattern, get rid of the fate of the male gaze, and have independent subjective consciousness are particularly valuable. The American movie Carol, with Carol and Therese as the main characters, tells the story of women with different personalities who have found themselves in life and have the courage to resist the pressure of the world and the oppression of patriarchal society. Woman-Demon-Human, directed by Huang Shuqin, tells the story of Qiuyun, who is obsessed with the art of opera, plays a male role, and dedicates her life to the stage. These two films portray the image of a true woman who can be autonomous and self-controlled, and deserve to be compared and analyzed in detail in terms of feminist awakening.

Juvenile social play predicts adult reproductive success in male bottlenose dolphins

For over a century, the evolution of animal play has sparked scientific curiosity. The prevalence of social play in juvenile mammals suggests that play is a beneficial behavior, potentially contributing to individual fitness. Yet evidence from wild animals supporting the long-hypothesized link between juvenile social play, adult behavior, and fitness remains limited. In Western Australia, adult male bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops aduncus ) form multilevel alliances that are crucial for their reproductive success. A key adult mating behavior involves allied males using joint action to herd individual females. Juveniles of both sexes invest significant time in play that resembles adult herding—taking turns in mature male (actor) and female (receiver) roles. Using a 32-y dataset of individual-level association patterns, paternity success, and behavioral observations, we show that juvenile males with stronger social bonds are significantly more likely to engage in joint action when play-herding in actor roles. Juvenile males also monopolized the actor role and produced an adult male herding vocalization (“pops”) when playing with females. Notably, males who spent more time playing in the actor role as juveniles achieved more paternities as adults. These findings not only reveal that play behavior provides male dolphins with mating skill practice years before they sexually mature but also demonstrate in a wild animal population that juvenile social play predicts adult reproductive success.

Adherence to Gender Roles on PTSD Symptoms of Hurricane Harvey Survivors

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships between trauma and adherence to gender roles among a sample of Hurricane Harvey survivors (N = 225). Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) resulting from natural disasters has been associated with an increased risk of negative psychological outcomes. Previous studies have found increased risks of PTSD resulting from hurricane exposure, and there also appears to be a correlation between PTSD and gender. Specifically, women have been found to be more likely to endorse PTSD symptoms. However, this relationship has not yet been examined specifically among survivors of trauma from natural disasters. The Hayes Process Macro (v3.5) was utilized to test for the potential moderating effect of adherence to traditional gender roles on the relationship between trauma exposure and PTSD symptoms, as well as trauma exposure and depression. Results indicated that adherence to traditional female gender roles significantly moderated the relationships both between trauma severity and PTSD symptoms and between trauma severity and depression. Those with more androgynous gender roles have been found to have an increased ability to utilize more situation-specific coping skills. Future research could explore the specific aspects of traditional female and male gender roles that increase or decrease ability to cope with trauma.

The Effect of the Gender Inequality Sensitivity Training Program Based on Active Learning

In the study, it was aimed to test the effectiveness of the Gender Inequality Sensitivity Training Program Based on Active Learning, which was prepared to develop sensitivity to gender inequality. The research was conducted with 26 participants studying in the Guidance and Psychological Counselling department of a university in the Central Anatolia Region in the 2019-2020 academic year. This study is a mixed-method research. In the quantitative part of the research, a quasi-experimental application was conducted with a 2x2 pre-test-post-test control group. In the qualitative part, the activity products and assignments obtained during the training were evaluated. The quantitative data of the research were collected through the Attitudes towards Gender Roles Scale and Personal Information Form, and the qualitative data were collected through the activity products and assignments obtained during the training. A 12-week-long Gender Inequality Sensitivity Training Program Based on Active Learning was applied to the experimental group. The findings showed that the training program increased the gender roles total attitude scores and traditional gender role scores of the experimental group participants significantly. In addition, after the experimental procedure, it was determined that there was a significant difference in favour of the experimental group regarding the total score, female, traditional, and male gender role sub-dimensions between the experimental and control groups. Qualitative findings showed that the program increased participants’ awareness of gender issues.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny: The Evolution of Masculinity in Geri-action and Its Implications for Male Hegemony

In 2023, a new adventure film called Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny premiered in theaters around the globe. In this film, Harrison Ford returns to his iconic role as Indiana Jones, showcasing a new perspective on action-packed adventures with seasoned heroes, which brings forth exciting new possibilities. Examining Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, this study delves into the development of masculinity in older action heroes, highlighting how these seasoned protagonists can challenge traditional notions of male hegemony. The study employs discourse analysis to examine the portrayal of Harrison Ford's Indiana Jones and draws comparisons to previous iterations and other characters within the genre. This analysis highlights the film's departure from conventional portrayals of masculinity, indicating a movement towards dismantling gender norms and challenging male hegemony. The analysis highlights the importance of older heroes in portraying changing perspectives on masculinity and male roles in today's society. This study presents a fresh outlook on gender studies, highlighting the importance of portraying masculinity in film in a more nuanced way. It advocates for breaking away from traditional norms and promoting diversity in storytelling and character development.

Education as an arena for anti-feminism: devaluation of femininity in primary education

ABSTRACT In the European context, there have been discussions for many years about how the number of female and male teachers in primary education should be more balanced. This story is also linked to the deteriorating school performance of boys, who are perceived as lacking male role models in schools. Thus, the feminization of primary education is often seen as an undesirable condition that should be rectified. This pejorative perception of feminization of education is related to the broader trends of anti-feminist politics, and this anti-feminist backlash is gradually being introduced into education as well. This article presents two case studies, Germany and Czechia. The analysis is based on data collected in 2015–2020 from ethnographic research in elementary schools, data from analysis of policy documents and media output, data from a systematic literature review, and quantitative research. In conclusion, three re-masculinization strategies used to devalue femininity in education are presented. First, ‘female climate’ as a reason for boys’ failure; second, father figures missing in education; third, promoting ‘gender diversity ‘as pretext to bring back more men and masculinity. All strategies share an antifeminist core because they all devalue women and femininity and reinforce the current gender order.

Postpartum Depression in Fathers: A Systematic Review.

Background/Objectives: Postpartum depression is usually defined as a major depressive episode that occurs shortly after childbirth. This condition is most commonly found in females; however, paternal postpartum depression has begun to attract more research attention. This study aims to identify different instruments for measuring this mental health problem and to detect risk factors as well as the main sources of resilience in paternal postpartum depression. Methods: A literature review was conducted following the PRISMA method. Results: After analyzing 10 articles, it was determined that the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale is the most widely used instrument for the diagnosis of postpartum depression in the female population, and after several studies, it has already been validated for the male sex. After several studies were analyzed to highlight the main risk factors for paternal postpartum depression, it was established that the most influential factor is male gender role stress. These findings highlight the traditional role of fathers today. Most health professionals see the mother as the priority. Conclusions: Paternal depression is a major problem for mothers and fathers today, as well as for the newborn. As time goes on, there is a growing need to incorporate fathers into current and future mental health programs to be able to provide the necessary support.

The Impact of Role Models on Women’s Self-Selection into Competitive Environments

In this paper, we show that competitive female role models reduce women’s perceived stereotype threat and increase their willingness to compete. Competitive male role models have the opposite effect: they reduce women’s willingness to compete, and the gender gap in tournament entry increases. Results are strongest for the best performing women who would benefit most from competing. Role models have no impact on low performing women, and on men.

Long-term effects of the Paraguayan War (1864-1870) on intimate partner violence

This study investigates the long-term effects of the Paraguayan War (1864–1870) on intimate partner violence (IPV). The identification relies on a novel historical dataset that uses the distance from regions to military camps during the war and military camps' sizes to proxy the impact of the war across Eastern Paraguay. The likelihood of modern-day IPV is found to be 5.54% higher than the average in areas that were more heavily affected by the war. Consistent with relative improvements in female labour participation and human capital posing a threat to the traditional male breadwinner role in households, the evidence confirms that reduced gender differences in the labour market and human capital accumulation after the war increased the long-term likelihood of IPV. As non-gender types of interpersonal violence are found to be unaffected in the long run, I conclude that the gender norm caused by the war enabled IPV, arguing that women's empowerment is a multi-faceted phenomenon wherein some dimensions, such as IPV, have a greater influence than others.

Beyond the Spotlight: Unveiling the Takarazuka Revue's Complex Legacy of Art, Gender, and Society

The Takarazuka Revue, a distinctive all-female Japanese musical theatre troupe, is renowned not only for its lavish productions and the unique approach of having women perform male roles but also as a subject of extensive socio-cultural discourse. This article meticulously examines the troupe as a microcosm reflecting a broader spectrum of societal issues in Japan, such as deep-rooted gender discrimination, systemic bullying, and the subjugation and objectification of women. The investigation is both critical and detailed, unveiling the darker aspects of the institution, including the oppressive and authoritarian practices within the Takarazuka Music School, the gruelling transformation of women into performers, and the manipulation of art as a medium to perpetuate traditional gender norms and societal expectations. Furthermore, the article delves into the psychological impacts on the individuals involved, scrutinising the long-term effects of power dynamics and stringent training regimes. It artfully argues that the Takarazuka Revue, once a beacon of theatrical innovation and excellence, now stands as a complex symbol of the intertwined relationships between art, gender roles, and societal structures in Japan. The article provides a balanced perspective, acknowledging the artistic value and cultural significance of the Revue while critically analysing its broader societal implications. Through this in-depth analysis, the article aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of the Takarazuka Revue and its role in Japanese culture, encouraging a reassessment of the intersection between art and social norms, including gender dynamics.

Exploration of Girls’ Role Models: Are there Female STEM Role Models in Sight?

This study explores the presence and impact of female role models in Science, Engineering, Technology and Mathematics (STEM) education due to the underrepresentation of girls in STEM fields. The objective is to assess girls’ role models, particularly the role they play in their interest and in a career choice in STEM.A survey was distributed through an online panel and 546 valid answers from girls aged 14-20 in Germany were received. The analysis links to social cognitive theory and revealed that immediate family members (50,1%), musicians, actors and artists (12,4%), and media influencers (9,6%) were the top role model categories. Male role models dominated in teachers, entrepreneurs, and friends, while female role models were prominent in the family category. Female scientists and entrepreneurs who could serve as STEM role models, were found to be underrepresented. The study also showed that girls with STEM occupational role models in their immediate surroundings were more likely to have an interest in STEM subjects.

Unveiling Gender Biases in Recruitment: A Natural Language Processing Approach

This paper investigates the potential of AI to identify gender biases in recruitment for senior management positions in businesses, dealing with many documents. It aims to unravel the impact of gender biases in job advertisements as a possible reason behind the underrepresentation of women in the corporate world. An innovative experiment that extracts and analyses 2.198 job offers published in February and September 2021 in the Financial Times newspaper is presented. Natural language techniques are used. These methods identify the most frequent terms and their appearance rate in the advertisements showing the gender biases they generate. By enabling the analysis of many documents, the method allows the accurate identification of gender biases. This use is unique in management studies. The results show a strong co-occurrence of terms associated with male roles in the studied sectors. The concept of agentic-communal role differentiation, rooted in the Identity, homosocial, and TM-TM theories, supports the findings. This knowledge will contribute to using NLP to discover gender biases in recruitment for high decision-making positions proposing action to improve the present situation. Should more women ascend to decision-making positions, selection processes should be improved to reflect a more neutral language. At the same time, cultural changes should be promoted in the corporate world toward more inclusive workplaces.

Qualitative evaluation of an edutainment intervention to prevent age-disparate transactional sex in Tanzania: Changes in educational aspirations and gender equitable attitudes towards work.

Age-disparate transactional sex is a major contributor to the disproportionate rates of HIV experienced by adolescent girls in sub-Saharan Africa, and a key driver of unintended adolescent pregnancy. This paper comprises one element of the impact evaluation of the Learning Initiative on Norms, Exploitation and Abuse (LINEA) radio drama intervention to prevent age-disparate transactional sex. It provides new insights into the radio drama's influence on distal drivers of age-disparate transactional sex identified in formative research: girls' own educational aspirations, and gendered attitudes towards work. The intervention, which targeted adolescent girls and their caregivers in the Shinyanga Region of Tanzania, uses an edutainment approach to prevent transactional sex between girls aged 12-16 years and men at least 5-10 years older. We distributed the 39-episode radio drama on USB flash drives to 331 households and conducted longitudinal in-depth interviews with 59 participants. We conducted a thematic analysis of endline (December 2021) transcripts from 23 girls, 18 women caregivers, and 18 men caregivers of girls (n = 59), and midline (November 2021) transcripts from a sub-sample of these participants: 16 girls, 16 women and 13 men (n = 45). Findings suggest the radio drama created an enabling environment for preventing age-disparate transactional sex by increasing girls' motivation to focus on their studies and remain in school. There was also strong evidence of increased gender-equitable attitudes about work among girls and women and men caregivers. These supported women joining the workforce in positions traditionally reserved for men and challenging the male provider role. Our findings suggest that the LINEA radio drama can supplement interventions that address structural drivers of age-disparate transactional sex. The radio drama may also have impacts beyond preventing age-disparate transactional sex, such as reducing girls' HIV morbidity and mortality, and challenging attitudes that promote sexual and gender-based violence to foster more gender-equitable communities across Tanzania.

The Fragmented Experience of Male “Victims” of Intimate Partner Violence in Heterosexual Relationships

ABSTRACT This study deals with the experience of men coping with violence toward them in heterosexual relationships. The research was conducted using a qualitative paradigm. It was based on 12 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with Israeli men. The analysis focused on the participants’ self-perception in the context of domestic violence toward them. The findings demonstrated the effect of internalizations of socially constructed structural gender expectations on the participants’ self-perception, as a men, spouses and parents. The participants’ narratives exhibited deferent degrees of dichotomist gender perceptions, de-legitimacy for emotional vulnerability, traditional male roles as responsible spouses and parents. These elements intensified frustration and emotional repression of their experience which engendered helplessness and hopelessness. The knowledge generated should serve service providers by enabling professionals to examine IPV in a more holistic and flexible way, and to tailor interventions with men and women, that consider their unique cross-gender characteristics and difficulties.

FROM MISOGYNY TO MISANDRY: THE PHENOMENON OF GENDER-BASED HATRED IN CINEMA

Cinema has been one of the most prominent arts in terms of gender interactions and the way it deals with male and female roles is multifaceted and complex. Cinema includes lots of socio-economical and cultural attributions with its own contexts and it approaches transformations and alterations elaborately. In this regard, two of the theme’s cinema is particularly interested in are misogyny and misandry which are the issues containing hatred, violence, fear and death and are closely related to ideology and its extensions over women. At this point, the main concern of this study is to make out how cinema focuses on this gender-based hatred and to investigate its basic cause. Thus, I have chosen four American films whose names are “MS. 45" (1981), "Monster" (2003), "I Spit on Your Grave" (2010) and "M.F.A." (2017) containing misogyny and misandry at the same time have been selected and analysed them with a feminist approach with the aid of discourses and incident sequences and reviewed in order to grasp whether this ancient hatred stems from phallocentric and toxic masculinity. The films have been selected with purposeful sampling method and the themes have been reviewed in a detailed way. The analysis has indicated that the reason for misogyny is not one-sided and originally linked with patriarchal and heteronormative expectations, while misandry is like a revenge story and ensues from a masculine stance and its historical persecution towards women.

Why Men Choose for Concealment and Against Disclosure of their Depressive Illness? A Qualitative Study

The qualitative study aims to explore reasons and occations for concealment in male participants with depression. Five focus groups with 16 men were analysed via Qualitative Content Analysis. Four motives of concealment have been explored: 1. continuity of professional career, 2. Ensure acceptance and social belonging, 3. control over social identity, 4. avoiding loads of personal environment. Participants differentiate from stereotypes of hegemonic male gender norms. However, participants connect to hegemonic male gender norms when attributing professional success with vigour and assertiveness. Results confirm the presence of hegemonic male gender norms particularly on the job. As a consequence, men with depressiopn replicate self- and social stigma if they fail to comply with hegemonic male gender roles. Workplace interventions that react to discrimination of mental health problems may be beneficial for men with depression.

Does the sex of judges matter? Analysis of sentencing in sex crimes in Spain

More women are increasingly joining the judiciary, especially during the last four decades. This has led to more research on the influence of sex on judicial decisions. Judge’s sex is a non-legal factor whose importance lies in the generally acknowledged historical difference between male and female roles in society, which may generate significantly different points of view and differences in the outcome of judicial proceedings, especially in cases related to sexual violence. However, there is no consensus regarding the effect of sex on sentencing. Indeed, findings to date vary widely, making a more profound study of this topic even more necessary. This study is based on a quantitative analysis of court sentences dictated by Provincial Courts in Spain (i.e. panels made up of men, women, or both) issued between 2019 and 2020.

Automated content analysis as a tool to compare content in sexual selection research with examples of sexual selection in evolutionary biology textbooks: implications for teaching the nature of science

Background We used college-level evolution textbooks to examine the presentation of sexual selection research—a field with ongoing debates related to sex, sexuality and gender identity. Many classic sexual selection concepts have been criticized for androcentrism and other forms of gender-sex bias, specifically for de-emphasizing the female role in reproductive behaviors and over-reliance on gender-sex binaries. These classic concepts are fundamentally captured in the idea that animal reproductive-related behaviors can be grouped in sex roles (e.g. competitive males and selective females). Recently developed alternative concepts provide a more nuanced understanding of the flexibility of sexual and reproductive-related behaviors, stemming in part from growing attention to a broader range of female behavior. To assess whether students are receiving content reflecting these insights, we measured the congruence between textbook content and the scientific literature, using insects as a case study because of the importance of this group in the development of sexual selection theory, its prevalence in current sexual selection research, and the number of insect examples included in textbooks. We first coded textbook content for sexual selection concepts. We used automated content analysis to analyze a database of citations, keywords and abstracts in sexual selection research published between 1990 and 2014, inclusive of the period covered by the textbooks.ResultsThe textbooks and research literatures prioritized the same taxa (e.g., fruit flies) and sex roles as embodied in classic sexual selection theory. Both the research literature and some textbooks acknowledge androcentrism and other forms of gender-sex bias in classic sexual selection paradigms, especially competitive male and selective female sex roles. Yet, while the research literature included alternative models, textbooks neglected these alternatives, even when researchers had studied both classic and alternative views in the same insect.Conclusions We recommend using this kind of analysis of textbook content to engage students in a conversation around the social factors that impact knowledge construction, a key part of the epistemological understanding they need for a robust grasp of the Nature of Science and of evolutionary theory.