Masculine Gender Role Research Articles

Prospective effects of peer support and gender roles on the mental health and work functioning of child protection workers exposed to potentially traumatic events

BackgroundChild protection workers (CPWs) are regularly exposed to potentially traumatic events (PTEs), especially, aggressive behaviors from the service users. ObjectivesThis study aimed to evaluate the effects of a peer support program on the mental health and work functioning of CPWs exposed to a PTE, while considering the moderating effect of gender roles. Participants and settingParticipants were recruited in two youth social services centers (YSS) in Canada and assessed one month (n = 176), two months (n = 168), six months (n = 162), and 12 months (n = 161) following exposure to a PTE. Three groups were formed: workers from the first YSS who received peer support (intervention group), workers from the first YSS who did not receive peer support (first control group), and workers from the second YSS where no peer support program was available (second control group). MethodsLinear mixed models were used to compare the three groups across time. ResultsThe intervention group did not differ from the control groups on any outcome variables at any time points. Gender roles did not moderate any effect. However, compared with the first control group, the intervention group scored lower on masculine gender roles, suggesting that lower masculinity may facilitate help seeking behaviors. ConclusionThe results point toward the need to improve the peer support intervention, to complement this intervention with other forms of support, and to promote organizational changes that would favor the workers' well-being and facilitate their recovery following a PTE.

Gender Role Discrepancy Stress and COVID-19 Prevention Behaviors Among Men in the United States.

To examine the associations between gender role discrepancy (non-conformity to socially prescribed masculine gender role norms) and discrepancy stress (distress arising from this discrepancy) on COVID-19 prevention behaviors among men, and the potential moderating effects of race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, and income on these relationships. A national online survey was conducted between May and June 2021. The United States. 749 adult men residing in the United States. A scale measured gender role discrepancy and discrepancy stress. COVID-19 prevention outcomes were constructed and included self-reported vaccination status/intentions, social distancing, mask-wearing, and hand-sanitizing. Multivariate generalized linear models were performed in SPSS. Gender role discrepancy associated with greater odds of vaccination (AOR = 1.35, 95% CI = 1.02-1.78, P = .04), while discrepancy stress associated with lower odds of vaccination (AOR = .48, 95% CI = .35-.68, P < 0. 001) and mask-wearing (AOR = .54, 95% CI = .37-.79, P = .001) for men overall. Discrepancy stress's negative effect on specific COVID-19 prevention behaviors was only apparent or was amplified for men in lower income brackets (vaccination, social distancing, mask-wearing), racial/ethnic minority men (vaccination), and sexual minority men (social distancing). This study demonstrates that gender role discrepancy stress negatively affects men's engagement in COVID-19 prevention, particularly for men in marginalized populations.

Sexual Minorities within Heterosexuality: Psychosocial Characteristics of and Attitudes toward the “Fourth Love” in China

Objective Within the context of gender diversity, the concept of heterosexuality is also changing, emerging as a diversified sexual orientation and identity. This study aims to challenge the orthodoxy about heterosexuality by exploring the psychosocial characteristics and attitudes toward “fourth love” in China. Method Two studies initially explored the current status of fourth love as a sexual minority. In Study 1, The Sex-Role Inventory and the Marital Attitude Scale were used to assess fourth-love (N = 144) and traditionally heterosexual participants’ (N = 145) gender roles and marriage attitudes. In study 2, the Attitudes Toward the Fourth Love Scale was developed to assess college students’ (N = 315) attitudes toward fourth-love men and women. Result Fourth-love women often identify with masculine gender roles and significant differences were found between fourth-love and traditionally heterosexual women their gender roles. Fourth-love men identified with a neutral gender role, while there are significant differences between fourth-love men and traditionally heterosexual women in masculine gender roles. Fourth-love people’s marriage attitudes were more negative than those of traditionally heterosexual people, especially for women. Various demographic factors influenced college students’ attitudes toward the fourth love. Conclusion As a sexual minority within the umbrella of heterosexuality in China, fourth-love individuals require further research attention and increased support.

Masculine Traits in Women Characters: A Comparative Study between Lady Macbeth and Clytemnestra

Ancient and modern societies both have a binary way of observing gender. Through this dual thinking, gender roles are imposed on men and women. They were judged according to their gender roles. Modern mentality also could not bring about much change in this fact about gender stereotypes, which has been happening since the beginning of the world. Masculine gender roles portray men to be physically strong, intelligent, and aggressive. Feminine gender roles portray women to be physically weak, emotionally fragile, and submissive to a man’s whims and fancies. Historically, there have been some iconic women who have challenged these gender stereotypes which became inspiration for those women who are struggling for their rights. From ancient to modern literature, many authors also tried to create some female protagonists with endowment to break them all the barriers of gender stereotypes. Shakespeare’s Lady Macbeth from Macbeth (1623) and Aeschylus’ Clytemnestra from Agamemnon (458 BC.) are two of such characters. Both of the women are conscious of their rights and do not let either their femininity or their womanhood prevent them from their destined and determined paths. They struggle for their own identity, glory, dignity, strength, and defense of their own rights. They tried to increase their status as women even if they had to become evil in order to do so.

Smoking Cessation Among Gender Minority Populations, Cis-women, and Cis-men: Findings From the International Tobacco Control Netherlands Survey.

Little is known about smoking cessation among gender minority populations compared to cisgender individuals (whose gender matches their sex assigned at birth). We examined differences between smokers from gender minority populations, cis-women, and cis-men in the heaviness of smoking, quit intentions, use of cessation assistance, quit attempts (ever tried and number), and triggers for thinking about quitting. We used cross-sectional data from the 2020 International Tobacco Control Netherlands Survey. Among smoking respondents, we distinguished (1) cis-women (female sex, identified as women, and having feminine gender roles; n = 670), (2) cis-men (male sex, identified as men, and having masculine gender roles; n = 897), and (3) gender minorities (individuals who were intersex, who identified as nonbinary, genderqueer, had a sex/gender identity not listed, whose gender roles were not feminine or masculine, or whose gender identity and/or roles were not congruent with sex assigned at birth; n = 220). Although gender minorities did not differ from cis-women and cis-men in the heaviness of smoking, plans to quit smoking, and quit attempts, they were significantly more likely to use cessation assistance (20% in the past 6 months) than cis-women (12%) and cis-men (9%). Gender minorities were also significantly more likely to report several triggers for thinking about quitting smoking, for example, quit advice from a doctor, an anti-smoking message/campaign, and the availability of a telephone helpline. Despite equal levels of quit attempts and heaviness of smoking, gender minority smokers make more use of smoking assistance, and respond stronger to triggers for thinking about quitting smoking. Smoking cessation counselors should be sensitive to the stressors that individuals from any minority population face, such as stigmatization, discrimination, and loneliness, and should educate their smoking clients on effective coping mechanisms to prevent relapse into smoking after they experience these stressors. Developing tailored smoking cessation programs or campaigns specifically for gender minority populations can also be useful. Based on the results of our subgroup analyses, programs or campaigns for younger gender minority smokers could focus on the availability of telephone helplines and on how friends and family think about their smoking behavior.

Facets of Gender Expression and Discrimination in Relation to Alcohol and Other Drug Use Severity Among Sexual Minority Women and Gender Diverse Individuals Assigned Female at Birth.

Purpose: Sexual minority women and gender diverse individuals assigned female at birth (SMW+) consistently report more alcohol and other drug (AOD) use severity than heterosexual women, with greater disparities reported among bisexual plus (bi+) SMW (including bisexual, pansexual, queer, and those with attractions to more than one gender regardless of identity). Furthermore, emerging evidence suggests that SMW with masculine gender expression (e.g., SMW with masculine gender appearance) disproportionately experience problematic AOD use compared to those with feminine gender expression. The minority stress model, which has predominantly been investigated in relation to internalized homonegativity and sexuality-based discrimination, may also account for these AOD use disparities. This study examined gender expression, related discrimination, and AOD use severity among SMW+. Methods: In a 2020 sample of SMW+ (n = 236), we investigated AOD use severity in relation to gender expression (appearance, emotional expression, and gender roles) and gender expression-based discrimination after controlling for internalized homonegativity and sexuality-based discrimination through an online survey. Results: Masculine gender roles were associated with AOD use severity, whereas masculine appearance and emotional expression were not. In multivariable models, gender identity was inconsistently associated with alcohol use severity, sexuality-based discrimination was consistently associated with alcohol use severity and inconsistently associated with other drug use severity, and gender expression-based discrimination was associated with neither. Conclusion: This study emphasizes the importance of examining intersecting aspects of minority identity among SMW+, including facets of gender expression, in relation to AOD use severity.

Where Are All the Men? A Qualitative Review of the Barriers, Facilitators, and Recommendations to Older Male Participation in Health Promotion Interventions.

Older men have lower participation rates than females in health promotion interventions. We conducted a qualitative review of 20 years of existing research across a variety of academic search databases to outline the barriers, facilitators, and recommendations for this imbalance. A systematic search was conducted across Google Scholar, PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Academic Search Premier, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, and Web of Science from dates January 1, 2000 - December 31, 2020. Abstracts were screened based on: original research, English language, recruitment or participation, health promotion or health program, and male gender. Of 1194 initial search results, 383 article abstracts were thoroughly screened for inclusion and 26 articles met inclusion criteria. Included studies were coded and analyzed using Grounded Theory. Barriers included masculine gender roles as well as program scope, environment, and gender of the instructors and other participants. Facilitators included creating social groups of older males that participate in a variety of activities together, including hobbies and health promotion, over a long period of time. Health promotion interventions should involve men in all aspects of program planning and implementation, take into account men's existing relationships and interests to create gender-sensitive programming, and clearly delineate the benefits to participation.

Masculine men do not like feminine wording: The effectiveness of gendered wording in health promotion leaflets in the UK.

Following mixed-methods sequential design and drawing on the message-audience congruence concept and homophily theory, across three studies in the UK, we examined the effect of gendered wording and endorser’s gender on the effectiveness of leaflets promoting walking. In Study 1, a mall-intercept study achieved 247 completed questionnaires. Results demonstrated that men and women indicated the highest behavioural intentions for communal wording presented by a male endorser. However, pairwise comparisons revealed that when the wording of the advert was agentic and the endorser was male, males indicated significantly higher scores of behavioural intentions compared with females. Attitude towards the ad for women was highest for communal wording/female endorser; for men it was for agentic wording/male endorser. In Study 2, consumers’ views towards the gendered content were explored in 20 semi-structured interviews. In study 3 we examined the impact of the respondent’s gender role identity on gendered content effectiveness. Overall, when controlled for level of gender role identity, only masculine males evaluated leaflets featuring communal wording negatively which suggests that wording matters only for masculine males, but not for other men and women. Theoretically, we identified that gender-based message-respondent congruence is not a necessary aspect of communications to be effective, except for one group: masculine males. Our study identified dominant gender role identity as a factor that explained respondents’ preferences for presented stimuli. Specifically, males who display masculine gender role identity differ in evaluations of communal wording from all other groups. Social and commercial marketers who target men and women with exercise-related services should consider the use of agentic wording endorsed by a male endorser when targeting masculine men to increase the likelihood of eliciting positive attitudes towards the communication. However, such distinctions should not be associated with differences in women’s evaluations or men who do not report masculine gender role identity.

A Pandemic-Defying Phenomenon: Gender Issue During the COVID-19 Outbreak in Turkey

This paper aims to analyse the gender-biased consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey through the views of working women and men who have experienced changes in their routines during the outbreak. Within this context, in-depth interviews were conducted with 216 participants, and they were asked to reply to the Masculine and Feminine Gender Role Stress Scale. As a result, gender-based discrimination has reinforced during the pandemic and inequalities have deepened. It is thought that the social impact of the pandemic was felt both by women and men, but more in women, and that these women lost some of the gains they had until the pandemic in the context of gender equality.

Protective and risk factors associated with involved fatherhood in a traditional culture

AbstractObjectiveConsistent with ecological systems theory and the heuristic model of parental behavior dynamics, the current study is focused on both individual and contextual factors that determine fatherhood involvement in the context of a traditional patriarchal culture.BackgroundFather–child interaction during the early childhood period is a salient factor in predicting later child outcomes. However, studies on antecedents of involved fatherhood are scarce, mostly concentrated on one aspect of fathering behavior, and limited to few cultural contexts.MethodData were collected from a representative urban sample of fathers of preschoolers in Turkey (N = 1,070). Different components of fatherhood involvement were assessed to project three distinct paternal behavior dimensions as care, affection, and control.ResultsFather role satisfaction, psychological value attributed to the child, and perceived family support were positively associated with involved fatherhood and higher parental warmth. Working hours per day was negatively associated with involved fatherhood, as expected. Higher life satisfaction was associated with higher positive parenting. Patriarchal views of masculinity were found to be the main predictor of parental physical punishment, controlling for all other predictors in the model.ConclusionStudy findings emphasized the importance of factors other than parenting skills that contribute to fathers' parental effectiveness.ImplicationsOur study's findings have implications for family practices and policies. For example, besides parenting skills, father support programs should also focus on other factors such as developing awareness of traditional masculinity norms and gender role prescriptions that can harm democratic family environments and childcare practices.

Gender roles and personality traits as predictive factors for fear of childbirth

ABSTRACT Fear of childbirth affects their labor, delivery, and the postpartum period. For this reason, it is important to examine all aspects of fear of childbirth, which has a multifactorial etiology. The purpose of this study is to determine whether gender roles and personality traits predict fear of childbirth among pregnant Turkish women. A cross-sectional study was conducted. It was completed with 200 women in the labor process receiving care in the birthing room of a state hospital. Descriptive statistics were represented by percentages, means, and standard deviation values. Simple regression analysis was employed to examine whether gender roles and Cervantes personality traits predicted fear of childbirth. It was determined that there was a negative relationship between masculine gender role and having an extroverted personality and fear of childbirth. In conclusion, the data suggest that gender roles and personality traits may be useful variables to predict women’s fear of childbirth. Future studies that will examine the relationship of gender roles and personality traits with the birth process can bring a new perspective to health professionals and a new dimension to care.

Examining the Role of Traditional Masculinity and Depression in Men's Risk for Contracting COVID-19.

In the light of the COVID-19 pandemic and claims that traditional masculinity may put some men at increased risk for infection, research reporting men’s health behaviors is critically important. Traditional masculine norms such as self-reliance and toughness are associated with a lower likelihood to vaccinate or follow safety restrictions. Furthermore, infection risk and traditional masculinity should be investigated in a differentiated manner including gender role orientation, underlying traditional masculine ideologies and male gender role conflict. In this pre-registered online survey conducted during March/April 2021 in German-speaking countries in Europe, 490 men completed questionnaires regarding contracting COVID-19 as confirmed by a validated test, fear of COVID-19 (FCV-19S), and experience of psychological burden due to COVID-19. In addition, depression symptomatology was assessed by using prototypical internalizing and male-typical externalizing depression symptoms. Furthermore, self-identified masculine gender orientation, endorsement of traditional masculinity ideologies, and gender role conflict were measured. A total of 6.9% of men (n = 34) reported having contracted COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic. Group comparisons revealed that men who had contracted COVID-19 exhibited higher overall traditional masculine ideology and gender role conflict. Logistic regression controlling for confounders (age, income, education, and sexual orientation) indicated that only depression symptoms are independently associated with the risk of having contracted COVID-19. While prototypical depression symptoms were negatively associated with the risk of having contracted COVID-19, male-typical externalizing depression symptoms were positively associated with the risk of contracting COVID-19. For traditional masculinity, no robust association for an increased risk of contracting COVID-19 could be established, while higher male-typical externalizing depression symptoms were associated with an increased risk of contracting COVID-19.

Queen Bees: How Is Female Managers' Happiness Determined?

This paper aims to study the determinants of subjective happiness among working females with a focus on female managers. Drawn on a large social survey data set (N = 10470) in China, this paper constructs gender development index at sub-national levels to study how institutional settings are related to female managers’ happiness. We find that female managers report higher levels of happiness than non-managerial employees. However, the promoting effect is contingent on individual characteristics and social-economic settings. The full sample regression suggests that female managers behaving in a masculine way generally report a high level of happiness. Meanwhile, female managers who refuse to support gender equality report low happiness levels. Sub-sample analysis reveals that these causalities are conditioned on regional culture. Masculine behavior and gender role orientation significantly predict subjective happiness only in gender-egalitarian regions. This study is one of the first to consider both internal (individual traits) and external (social-economic environment) factors when investigating how female managers’ happiness is impacted. Also, this study challenges the traditional wisdom on the relationship between female managers’ job satisfaction and work-home conflict. This study extends the literature by investigating the impacts of female managers’ masculine behavior on their happiness. This study is useful for promoting female managers’ leadership effectiveness and happiness.

Predictive Factors for Depression and Anxiety in Men During the Perinatal Period: A Mixed Methods Study.

The purpose of this study was to identify the risk factors associated with paternal perinatal mental distress in a sample of Australian men. A mixed-methods design was used. The qualitative component (N = 13) using thematic analysis identified maternal depression, marital distress, masculine gender role stress, unplanned pregnancy, work–family conflict, and sleep disturbance as risk factors for paternal perinatal mental distress. The quantitative component (N = 525) expanded on the qualitative findings and examined the associations between the identified risk factors and mental distress of fathers in the perinatal period measured by Edinburgh postnatal depression scale. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed six significant predictors of paternal perinatal mental distress with masculine gender role stress being the most significant risk factor for paternal perinatal mental distress. The results from this study provide an insight into how masculine gender role may affect the expression and experience of mental distress in fathers within the perinatal period. Implications of research findings are discussed.

Responses to Shame: Influences of Adherence to Masculinity Norms

Managing negative emotions is challenging even without the overlay of socially constructed gender role norms. We were curious about the effects of being confronted with shame on young men who either adhere strongly to traditional masculine gender roles norms or are nonconforming to these norms. We evaluated the shame responses of college men (N = 23), using the Thurston-Craddock Test of Shame (TCTS; Thurston &amp; Craddock, 1998) as our stimulus while measuring physiological and verbal responses. Men in the traditional masculinity norms conforming group scored significantly higher (p = .001, η2 = .58) on 7 of the 11 subscales from the Conformity to Masculine Norms Inventory (CMNI; Mahalik et al., 2003) than men in the nonconforming group. When presented with shame-based stimuli, we found differences in heart rate variability depending on the level of overt shame in the stimulus with the two groups, p = .038, η2 = .12. The use of aggressive language when confronted with overt examples of shame was not different for our comparison groups. Our results indicate that men who adhere to traditional masculine norms hold different values for interacting with women, physical confrontation, and being in control of situations and others than men who have not internalized the traditional values of American masculinity. Understanding the continuum of values and responses to difficult emotions continues to be a valuable area to study.

Where are all the men? A review of the barriers and facilitators to participation in health promotion interventions

A cognitive intervention study was conducted to explore methods to improve adherence to a technology-based cognitive intervention and uncover individual differences that predict adherence (N = 120). The study was divided into two phases: (1) in which participants were asked to follow a prescribed schedule of training that involved gamified neuropsychological tasks administered via a tablet, and (2), in which participants were asked to play as frequently as they wished. Positively and negatively framed messages about cognitive health were delivered via the software program, and measures of cognition, technology proficiency, self-efficacy, technology attitudes, and belief in the benefits of cognitive training were collected. We computed an aggregate measure of adherence during each of the two phases, as well as a measure of daily engagement. Across data modeling approaches, the finding was consistent: only during Phase 2, was there evidence that positively-framed messages encouraged greater adherence over negatively-framed messages. Measures of memory and self-efficacy demonstrated some, but limited, ability to predict individual differences in adherence.

Where are all the men? A review of the barriers and facilitators to participation in health promotion interventions

Research shows that men in the U.S. experience significant morbidity and earlier mortality than women and are less likely to access, interpret, and apply health information to improve their outcomes. Although evidence-based health promotion programs have proven successful at increasing healthy lifestyle behaviors and reducing morbidity among older adults, older males are still significantly less likely to enroll and sustain participation in such health interventions. While studies have shown the barriers and facilitators to older adult participation in health programs in general, it is largely unknown why older male recruitment and participation in health promotion interventions remains so low. In this poster presentation, we conducted a thorough review of the last 20 years of existing research across a variety of academic search databases to outline the barriers, facilitators, and recommendations for increasing older male participation in health promotion programs. Of 1,194 initial search results, 383 article abstracts were thoroughly screened for inclusion, and 26 articles met all inclusion criteria. Included studies were coded and analyzed using Grounded Theory and reveal that masculine gender roles, as well as program scope, environment, and gender of the instructors and other participants, were important factors for male participation. Interventions should include men in all aspects of program planning and implementation, take into account men’s existing relationships and interests to create gender-sensitive programming, and clearly delineate the benefits to participation. Lastly, the field of public health would benefit by helping to normalize men’s participation in health promotion interventions.

A laboratory study of the effects of men's acute alcohol intoxication, perceptions of women's intoxication, and masculine gender role stress on the perpetration of sexual aggression.

Although research has established an association between alcohol use and sexual assault, few studies have examined how characteristics of the perpetrator may influence sexual aggression depending upon whether alcohol is consumed by the perpetrator and/or the victim. This laboratory-based investigation was designed to disentangle the effects of individual differences in masculine gender role stress (MGRS) and the perpetration of sexual aggression as a function of (1) men's acute alcohol intoxication and (2) whether a woman was consuming alcohol or not. A community sample of 156 men participated in two laboratory sessions, during which they completed a self-report measure of MGRS (Session 1) and a modified version of the sexual imposition paradigm after consuming an alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverage (Session 2). In this paradigm, participants and a male friend were told that an ostensible female participant had consumed or not consumed alcohol. They were also told that she did not wish to view sexual content. Participants were then provided the opportunity to make the female confederate view a sexually or non-sexually explicit film. Sexual aggression was operationalized by selection of the sexually explicit film. A hierarchical logistic regression showed that men higher in MGRS who were intoxicated were (1) more likely than sober men to select the sexually explicit film when the woman was intoxicated and (2) less likely than sober men to select the sexually explicit film when the woman was sober. These findings suggest that the perpetration of sexual aggression is most likely among men with higher MGRS when there is concordance in drinking (i.e., when either the man and woman are both drinking or are both not drinking).

A SOCIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT ON WOMEN, HONOR AND DIVORCE

In this study, in which the effect and consequences of gender roles and patriarchy on women's marriage and divorce experiences were tried to be understood, face-to-face interviews were conducted with twelve divorced women and a semi-structured interview from specially created for the study was used in the interviews. In line with masculine ideology and gender roles; It is possible to say that it is perceived and evaluated within the framework of private space, motherhood, body and honor. Accordingly, it is seen that women’s life is tried to be organized and disciplined on the basis of these ideological foundations in all processes before marriage, after marriage and after divorce. It is inevitable that women, who are not given equal opportunities and opportunities in access to education and working life as much as men, face much more severe situations in marriage and divorce processes. Depending on gender, it is understood that divorce creates different problems and grievances for women than man. In this study, the problems experienced by the divorced women before, during and after the divorce were evaluated only through the data of the interviews with the women included in the interview group and tried to be interpreted from a sociological point of view.

Subversion of the Masculine Gender Roles in the Malayalam Film, “Kumbalangi Nights”

Like most of the regional films in India, Malayalam film industry has undergone radical changes which is ultimately a reflection of the societal changes in Kerala. The 2019 film in the regional language, Malayalam, Kumbalangi Nights, directed by Madhu C Narayan enters the list of such films. The film became a point of discussion in the Malayalam film industry as it won the Kerala State film award in 2020. The film has taken a diverse look at the societal problems of the lower middle-class people in the city of Kochi. The study is an analysis of the way in which the film has subverted the popular notions of masculinity and redefined the patriarchal world views within the family structure.