Masculine Characteristics Research Articles

An intersectional mixed methods approach to Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander men's health.

We used a convergent parallel design to explore NHPI men's multi-level perspectives of the factors that influence healthy eating, physical activity, and weight, to elicit recommendations for lifestyle interventions, and to understand the intersection of masculinity and health from a social constructionist perspective. From June to December 2017, NHPI men 18 years and older were recruited to participate in a survey and focus groups. The survey included demographic questions and questions about physical and cultural activities men engage in, perceived social support for lifestyle behaviors, dietary behaviors, masculine characteristics and values important to NHPI men. The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale was used to assess psychological distress. Focus groups were audio recorded and transcribed for a thematic analysis. Descriptive statistics were computed for survey data. We conducted eight focus groups with 89 NHPI men (50% Samoan, 20% Native Hawaiian, 30% Marshallese). The mean age of participants was 39 years, 43% reported some college or college graduate, 64% were currently married, and 63% were working full time. Ninety percent of men scored 20 or higher on the K10 scale indicating mild to severe psychological distress. Men described food as a major part of their culture and their identity. Men's roles were defined as provider and protector, with little attention is paid to their own health. Our study found that hegemonic, or traditional masculinity and social norms may encourage some men to put their health at risk but may also be used to motivate healthy behaviors.

Fertility Preservation Outcomes and Considerations in Transgender and Gender-Diverse Youth.

* Abbreviations: MAI — : medical affirming intervention TGD-AYA — : transgender and gender-diverse adolescents and young adults Transgender and gender-diverse adolescents and young adults (TGD-AYA) increasingly present to health care providers seeking medical affirming interventions (MAIs) to induce physiologic changes aligned with their gender identity. MAIs include gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists to temporarily suppress puberty, testosterone to induce masculine characteristics among those assigned female at birth, and estrogen (often combined with an antiandrogenic agent) to induce feminine characteristics among those assigned male at birth. There is considerable concern that these MAIs impact gonadal structures and function, thereby decreasing future fertility potential.1 Little research has explored reversibility or thresholds (amount and/or duration) of MAIs in impacting TGD-AYA fertility. Therefore, multiple professional organizations recommend fertility counseling before MAI initiation.2–4 In this month’s issue of Pediatrics, Barnard et al5 provide the first study of semen cryopreservation outcomes among TGD-AYA assigned male at birth who assert a female gender identity. They conducted retrospective chart reviews on 11 TGD-AYA referred for fertility preservation over a nearly 4-year period. One patient did not provide a sample. The 8 samples obtained from patients before MAI initiation were all viable. One patient … Address correspondence to Jason Rafferty, MD, MPH, EdM, Department of Pediatrics, Thundermist Health Centers, 450 Clinton St, Woonsocket, RI 02895. E-mail: jason_rafferty{at}mail.harvard.edu

Who Would You Rather Work For? The Effect of Gender on Employee Perceptions

This study, a conjoint analysis, uses age, gender, and the leadership characteristics from the 12-item Bem Sex Role Inventory to determine how feminine and masculine characteristics affect the way females are perceived as managers. Participants in this study were asked to choose between two hypothetical bosses or managers based on a random combination of age, gender, and a leadership characteristic associated with either men or women. We hypothesized that leader gender would have a stronger effect on subordinate management preference than leader age or leader characteristics, that women possessing male leadership characteristics would be viewed less favorably than men possessing these same characteristics, that men are less likely to prefer female managers with masculine characteristics than women are, and that young females will be viewed less favorably than either young men, older men, or older women. The results of the study show that leader gender does not influence employees’ perceptions of their manager nearly as much as the leader’s age or manager characteristics do.

“The Sweetest Savor”: Active Male Penetrators and Societal Anxieties in Arthurian Legend

The expected gender dichotomy of medieval European heterosexual relationships was simple. There was an active male penetrator and a passive female acceptor. This dichotomy is supported by court records from late medieval France, analyzed by Joseph Roelens, in which two women are put on trial for female sodomy and much importance is placed on the masculine character of one woman and the submissiveness of the other. In this paper, I examine two different stories from Arthurian Legend, Sir Thomas Malory’s “Morte d’Arthur” and Geoffrey Chaucer’s “The Wife’s Prologue and Tale” from <em>The Canterbury Tales</em>, that depict sexual relationships between the main male and female characters that function within the social norm of the gender dichotomy. In doing so, I argue that these stories use this active and passive gender dichotomy in an attempt to police men’s actions in their sexual relationships with women. I chose to examine these stories because they demonstrate the societal importance placed on this gender dichotomy in a very concrete way. The men in these stories who refuse to become passive, Sir Lancelot being the most prominent among them, are willing to sacrifice not only their life, but the life of the women they love (whether or not the women agree with this decision), in order to avoid breaking the gender dichotomy. <strong>Faculty Sponsor</strong>: Dr. Elizabeth E. Tavares

The Mirror and the Window: Making Implicit Perceptions of Leadership Explicit

Images of leadership serve as mirrors reflecting assumptions and as windows revealing possibilities. We take a visual and less common methodological approach and highlight particular images by way of a linguistic and stylistic analysis. The foundation of this study—an archive of 8,283 images and essays—is noteworthy, since it represents nearly the entire population of undergraduates at an elite business school over the past 16 years. Our analysis reveals the salient commonalities and subtle differences in male and female perceptions. On one hand, the most frequently posted male and female images of leadership are assertive and concerned about the welfare of others and combine stereotypical and archetypal masculine and feminine characteristics. The act of leadership is also transformational and empowering rather than transactional and directive. On the other hand, the qualities of leadership are value-centric for both male and female students; but males are more inclined to see hierarchy and agentic qualities, while females are more likely to see communal characteristics. Moreover, the vast majority of images is male, but female students put a greater emphasis on gender nonspecified subjects and are twice as likely as male students to identify the subject of leadership as “ she.”

Made in Egypt: Gendered Identity and Aspiration on the Globalized Shop Floor

Made in Egypt: Gendered Identity and Aspiration on the Globalized Shop Floor

Manliness in the Age of the Anthropocene: Unsustainalbe Ecologies of Masculinity in Hard Times

Studies of Victorian work, political economy, industrialism, and realism in Hard Times have taken for granted Charles Dickens’s broad range of masculine figures represented in the text. Dickens’s novel explores the environmental costs of masculine ideologies conceived as endless struggle and competition. The novel’s depiction of an ecological crisis in Coketown functions as an ideological critique of Victorian toxic masculinity in a double sense: as a form of masculinity that harms both women and men socially, physically, and psychologically and as a pandemic deeply linked to a larger environmental crisis caused by unsustainable forms of economic expansion. All masculine characters in Coketown embody toxic forms of masculinity that cause suffering for others and for themselves. Toxic masculinity represents both a symptom of environmental disaster in the novel and a great facilitator of climate change denial. To think ecologically in the novel entails an implicit challenge to masculinist ideologies predicated on the subordination of women and the exploitation of the environment.

Poisonous Pantheons: God of War and Toxic Masculinity

Kratos, protagonist of God of War (2005–current), is an archetypal representation of toxic masculinity. For much of the series, his rage drives much of the narrative and game dynamics, as Kratos destroys the entire Greek pantheon. The latest iteration of the series moves Kratos into Norse mythology and introduces a son. This father–son relationship allows the developers to ruminate upon the toxic masculinity that has defined much of the series’ past. Kratos’ trajectory moves from the flatness of one defining characteristic, rage, to an introspective consideration of this emotion and its consequences. A parabolic supporting cast set the stage, each illustrating an aspect of toxicity; as explored, the mother–son relationship between Freya and her son, Baldur, is given a poignant twist. Overall, this article investigates how God of War articulates characteristics of toxic masculinity, explores its repercussions, and offers lessons for its rehabilitation.

Bad Witches: Gender and the Downfall of Elizabeth Holmes of Theranos and Disney’s Maleficent

Female villains, both fictional and real, are subject to unconscious gender bias when part of their iniquity involves the disruption of male authority. Disney’s most popular animated villain, Maleficent, from Sleeping Beauty (1959) and Elizabeth Holmes of the now-disgraced blood testing startup, Theranos, reveled in their power, deviating from idealized feminine propriety. An analysis of scenes featuring Maleficent, the “mistress of all evil”, and coverage of Elizabeth Holmes, once the first self-made female billionaire, illustrate how powerful women with hubris are censured beyond their misdeeds. Elizabeth Holmes’ adoption of a deep voice and other masculine characteristics parallels Maleficent’s demeanor and appearance that signal female usurpation of traditional male power. Both antagonists also engage in finger pricking that penetrates the skin and draws blood, acts associated with symbolic male potency. The purported ability to bewitch, in conjunction with the adoption of patterns associated with male dominance, suggest that Maleficent and Elizabeth Holmes wield power over men and wield the power of men. Discomfort with the way in which magical powers were allegedly employed by these women echo historical fears of witches accused of appropriating male power. Furthermore, powerful women who encroach on male authority but ultimately fail to upend the gender hierarchy trigger schadenfreude beyond that expected from their wrongdoings. In the end, the stories of Maleficent and Elizabeth Holmes celebrate the downfall of women who brazenly embrace power, without showing women how to challenge the gender hierarchy.

Pour une Poétique de l’Homme-Personnage dans La Désirante de Malika Mokeddem = FOR a Poetic Man-Character in La Désirante by Malika Mokadem

This article presents the textual elements articulating a representation of the character-man in Malika MOKEDDEM's novel La Desirante . We have examined the character-man in a narrative frame for two reasons. On the one hand, the character in a text is a narrative variant from an empirical point of view. On the other hand, it is meant by the notion of the man, the andros, the masculine being with his attributes and motivations. We would like to question the perception and the representation of a female author on the male beings as portrayed in La Desirante . To do so, we will examine the portraits of the person-characters, which are evoked by the narrator. Among the attributes that the latter presents, the physical traits, the way of thinking and the amorous behaviour that constitute the complimentary image of Shamsa for Leo. Furthemore, we will resort to the narrative device offering a hierarchical typology of the man. Then, we will attempt to show that the descriptive praxis offers singular types of masculine characters with regard to a narrator whose point of view is no less riddled with its subjectivity, that is reflected in the formal marks of enunciation. You, suggesting I.

National populism and gendered vigilantism: The case of the Soldiers of Odin in Finland

Based on a discursive analysis of various media reports published in 2015–2018 by and about the Finnish right-wing street patrolling organization Soldiers of Odin (SOO), we explore the gendered dimension of contemporary vigilantism. We find that street patrolling as a practice of vigilantism, is justified in this case by using representations of the cityspace as a place of friction between locals and newcomers and of the street as a locus for enacting gendered and racial/ethnic identities. Our findings suggest that SOO’s vigilant practices exhibit a mixture of traditional and new features of masculinity. We argue that the activities of anti-immigration groups such as the SOO in Finland demonstrate a feminist security dilemma concerning the way securitization of public gender-based violence is used to enhance militarized performance of white masculinity. We identify four recurring themes that are used by group members to portray themselves as part of a legitimate social movement: protective masculinity, militarized masculinity, supplement of the state, and indigenous masculinity.

Indiscretions of an Italian Lover: Montgomery Clift, Masculinity, and Melodrama

ABSTRACTThis article utilizes production documents found in the David O. Selznick Collection to explore the role of masculinity as it is constructed in Stazione Termini (1953). More specifically, it seeks to reframe Montgomery Clift, the film’s lead actor, as an inetto: an inept masculine character who repeatedly submits to the commands of both Mary, his lover, and her adolescent nephew, Paul. Traditionally an archetype found in Italian comedy, Clift’s performance exemplifies the role of the inetto in the context of melodrama. While the comedic inetto demands centre stage in its film, the melodramatic inetto is instead pushed into the periphery, queering the heteronormative representation of the male leading character and undermining traditional notions of masculinity. The production files reinforce this reading.

Full Moon Masculinities: Masculine Werewolves, Emotional Repression, and Violence in Young Adult Paranormal Romance Fiction

Gothic monsters have recently experienced a period of focused scholarly analysis, although few studies have engaged with the werewolf in terms of its overt alignment with masculinity. Yet the werewolves of young adult fantasy fiction both support and subvert dominant masculine discourses through their complex negotiation with emotional repression and violence. These performative masculine practices are the focus of this article, which analyses how hegemonic masculine ideals are reinforced or rejected in a corpus of young adult fantasy texts, including Cassandra Clare's young adult series The Mortal Instruments (2007–2014) and Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga (2005–2010). Both texts feature masculine characters whose lycanthropic experiences implicitly comment upon gender norms, which may shape young adult audiences' understanding of their own and others' gender identities.

Self-rated Attractiveness and Sociosexual Behavior Predict Gay Men's Preferences for Masculine Cues in Male Voices in China.

Theory and some evidence suggest that masculine characteristics (e.g., lower pitched voice) will predict indices of men's long-term health. In a related finding, researchers have demonstrated that the attractiveness of individuals predicts variation in their mate preferences. As self-perceived attractiveness may predict sociosexuality (i.e., the willingness of individuals to engage in restricted or unrestricted sexual relationships), we investigated how self-rated attractiveness and sociosexuality influence preferences regarding male voices among 338 gay men across different cities in China. Each participant was randomly presented with six pairs of male voices and gave preferences using a forced-choice method; each pair of male voices consisted of a masculine (lower pitched) and feminine (higher pitched) version of the same original voice. Our findings suggested that gay men who perceived themselves as more attractive showed stronger preference for lower pitched voices compared with self-perceived less attractive individuals. In addition, we found that gay men's sociosexuality score was positively correlated with their preference for masculine cues in male voices, indicating that gay men who were less sociosexually restricted preferred lower pitched voices over higher pitched versions compared with men who were more restricted. Our study presents evidence contributing to a better understanding of condition-dependent strategies of partner choice in gay men.

Differences in the Perceived Attractiveness of Non-contact and Combative Athletes' Facial Pictures

Abstract Female mating strategies and partner preferences are influenced by many factors. Depending on the life context, the preference for either a long-term or a short-term relationship, the willingness to have off-spring, or the current fertility conditions can be key factors. Differences can largely be traced to the perception of physical masculinity and the ability to provide and raise offspring. This study seeks to obtain data that will help to describe changes in the female perception of the attractiveness of facial photographs of male elite golfers (non-contact sport) and MMA fighters (combative sport) in connection with the following factors: age, sexual activity/passivity, use of hormonal contraceptives, duration of actual relation-ship, and number of children. Data for this study were collected using an anonymous questionnaire that included photos of the athletes in a random order and a 1-10 rating scale (10 indicating the most attractive). The research sample consisted of 1,035 female participants. The statistical significance was analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests, Eta2, and Cohen's d for the average ratings of the contact and non-contact athletes. The female participants slightly preferred the golfers’ pictures. This preference grew significantly with age and number of children. A possible explanation for these results may be the participants’ decreasing fertility or the willingness to have another child in the Czech socio-culture. In such cases, the strong masculine features typical of combative athletes could be less important. In contrast to some earlier findings, contraceptive use did not affect the perception of male attractiveness compared to the entire sample's average ratings, furthermore, neither did sexual activity/passivity.

Detection of the SRY gene in patients with Turner Syndrome

BackgroundIf turner syndrome (TS) patients have a Y-containing cell line, they have an increased risk for gonadal tumors. TS patients are therefore screened for Y-chromosome and Y-specific sequences, such as SRY, DYZ1, DYZ3, DYS132, ZFY, TSPY, etc. In addition, since the dysgenetic gonad may include the stroma and granulosa/sertoli cells, which produce androgens, virilization can seen in girls with Y-chromosomal material. Prophylactic gonadectomy may therefore be required for optimal management in such patients. Our aim is to discuss our observations in the follow-up of TS patients. MethodsSRY was investigated in 71 out of 85 TS cases (aged 3 months-27 years) between 2005 and 2017. Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) was used until 2014, after which SRY analysis was performed using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. SRY analysis was performed a second time using PCR in 25 cases previously investigated with FISH. ResultsWe identified no positive cases. No pathological findings in terms of virilization, clitoromegaly, or posterior labial adhesions were also determined in our TS cases. Further studies were not required since no pathological findings also were detected at ultrasonography. ConclusionIf Y-chromosome material has not been detected by conventional cytogenetic methods in TS patients with masculine features, further techniques should be applied to prevent the risk of invasive tumors, such as multiple sequences beside the Y centromere. This approach will prevent overtreatment.

Міфологеми дому й дороги як структурні складові творення жіночих образів в українській химерній прозі

&lt;p&gt;Celem artykułu jest określenie roli mitologemów dom i droga w procesie kreowania obrazów kobiet w ukraińskiej prozie chimerycznej. Podstawę materiałową pracy stanowią: powieść-ballada W. Szewczuka Dom na wzgórzu (1983), dylogia W. Zemlaka Stado łabędzi (1971) i Zielone młyny (1976), powieść W. Jaworiwśkiego Spójrz wstecz z jesieni (1979), dylogia B. Miniajły Gwiazdy i śledzie, Na jasne gwiazdy (1979). Metodą nadrzędną studium jest metoda mitologemów w utworach literackich. W pracy wykorzystano elementy metody kulturowo-historycznej oraz tradycyjną metodę kontekstualną. Wyniki badań pozwoliły na sformułowanie następujących wniosków: mitologemy domu i drogi najczęściej wiążą się z nadzieją, wiarą, utraconą miłością, oczekiwaniem. Kreując obrazy kobiet, ukraińscy twórcy prozy chimerycznej przypisują im z jednej strony emocjonalność i poznanie intuicyjne, z drugiej zaś cechy maskulinistyczne – odwagę, samowystarczalność, pewność odnośnie do słuszności obranej drogi.&lt;/p&gt;

Examination of Body Areas Satisfaction Levels and Gender Roles of Female Wrestlers

The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between the Body Areas Satisfaction Levels and Gender Roles of female wrestlers. The sample of the study is constituted by 39 female wrestlers in Turkey Olympic Preparation Center in Edirne in 2017. As the data collection tool in the research; to determine the Body Areas Satisfaction Levels &amp;ldquo;Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Scale&amp;rdquo;, to determine the gender roles &amp;ldquo;BEM Gender Role Inventory&amp;rdquo; was used. In the evaluation of the data obtained, SPSS 20.0 statistics program was used. In the analysis of data, descriptive statistics; in paired comparisons, t-test; and in multiple comparisons, ANOVA test was used. As a result of statistical analysis made, it was observed that, of the female wrestlers; 15.4% had masculine, 35.9% had feminine, 17.9% had androgynous and 30.8% had unclear gender role behaviours. Significant differences were found between the score of femininity characteristics and score of masculinity characteristics and score of social acceptability characteristics (p&amp;lt;0.05). According to body mass index (BMI), regarding the clauses on satisfaction with body areas, there is significant difference; between the normal weight and the over weight as per the clause &amp;ldquo;I am satisfied with my lower body&amp;rdquo;; between the overweight and the thin and the normal weight as per the clause &amp;ldquo;I am satisfied with my central body&amp;rdquo;; between the weak athletes and normal weight athletes as per the clause &amp;ldquo;I am satisfied with muscle structure&amp;rdquo;; between the normal weight and over weight athletes as per the clause &amp;ldquo;I am satisfied with my weight&amp;rdquo; (P&amp;lt;0.05). There was no significant difference according to BMI variable in the clauses &amp;ldquo;I&amp;rsquo;m satisfied with my face&amp;rdquo;, &amp;ldquo;I&amp;rsquo;m satisfied with my hair&amp;rdquo;, &amp;ldquo;I&amp;rsquo;m satisfied with my upper body&amp;rdquo;, &amp;ldquo;I&amp;rsquo;m satisfied with my height&amp;rdquo; and &amp;ldquo;I&amp;rsquo;m satisfied with my overall appearance&amp;rdquo;.

Има ли хероја у доба постхеројског ратовања?

The paper analyses the problems that have been undermining the US recruitment policy for the last two decades - which is aimed at providing soldiers for imperial disciplining wars waged on the planetary periphery - as a case study to test the validity of theoretical assumptions about the transition to the age of post-heroic warfare. The departing hypothesis is based on stance that the United States, being the only remained superpower, experience a gradual and less visible process of losing popular support for military conscription, which the author employs here as an ideal of national vitality and a pillar of modern citizenship, as well as a feature of masculinity and the realm for self-realisation. The analysis takes place primarily in the field of anthropology and sociology and employs theoretical positions of social constructivism to complement narrow theoretical and methodological approaches of political science which are typically applied in the study of international relations. The analysis focuses on the cracks and deformations in the construction of ideals of warfare and heroism, which emerge as a result of the interaction of man - both as an individual and a member of the political community - the public, and the US foreign policy decisions designed to meet the needs and requirements of successful disciplinary imperial warfare. The author concludes that theoretical assumptions about entering the age of post-heroic warfare are valid due to the recruitment crisis in the US military, the unpopularity of the military profession, the commodification of warfare and death, the transformation of war into an industrial process, and misleading media portrayals of dead and wounded soldiers.

ИССЛЕДОВАНИЕ РОДИТЕЛЬСКИХ ПРЕДПОЧТЕНИЙ В ВОСПИТАНИИ МАЛЬЧИКОВ И ДЕВОЧЕК

The paper deals with the issue of bringing up boys and girls in the family environment. At the end of the 20th century, a lot of controversies arose on the issue of bringing up boys and girls both in psychological and pedagogical and in parental circles when numerous studies were conducted on gender issues and the gender aspect of personality formation. The aim of the research is to analyze the psychological gender aspects, such as feminity, masculinity, androgyny, and parents’ preferences in raising boys and girls and the development of their value system. The authors research parents’ preferences in developing character and personality of boys and girls. The data which they got as a result of their experiment are analyzed. The sample includes 44 people (22 couples). Milton Rokeach’s and Sandra Bem’s tests were used in the research. The hypothesis of the research is the following: gender aspect of family education is characterized by the difference in developing feminine and masculine features, wherever developing of value system is the same with boys and girls from the parents’ perspective. The first part of the hypothesis was partly proved by the research. Out of 20 masculine features, only 5 are set out as statistically approved, they are assertiveness, strength, authority, masculinity, and competitiveness. Out of 20 feminine features, only 5 are statistically approved, they are the ability to trust, femininity, softness, cordiality, and attractiveness. The other features are not statistically meaningful. The second part of the hypothesis was proved totally: according to parents’ preferences, the process of value system development is the same within boys and girls.