Dominance Of Men Research Articles

A sex difference in the context-sensitivity of dominance perceptions

Although dominance perceptions are thought to be important for effective social interaction, their primary function is unclear. One possibility is that they simply function to identify individuals who are capable of inflicting substantial physical harm, so that the perceiver can respond to them in ways that maximize their own physical safety. Another possibility is that they are more specialized, functioning primarily to facilitate effective direct (i.e., violent) intrasexual competition for mates, particularly among men. Here we used a priming paradigm to investigate these two possibilities. Facial cues of dominance were more salient to women after they had been primed with images of angry men, a manipulation known to activate particularly strong self-protection motivations, than after they had been primed with images of angry women or smiling individuals of either sex. By contrast, dominance cues were more salient to men after they had been primed with images of women than when they had been primed with images of men (regardless of the emotional expressions displayed), a manipulation previously shown to alter men's impressions of the sex ratio of the local population. Thus, men's dominance perceptions appear to be specialized for effective direct competition for mates, while women's dominance perceptions may function to maximize their physical safety more generally. Together, our results suggest that men's and women's dominance perceptions show different patterns of context-sensitivity and, potentially, shed new light on the routes through which violence and intrasexual competition have shaped dominance perceptions.

Quantifying the strength and form of sexual selection on men's traits

Although recent research has increasingly focused on human sexual selection, fundamental questions remain concerning the relative influence of individual traits on success in competition for mates and the mechanisms, form, and direction of these sexual selective pressures. Here, we explore sexual selection on men's traits by ascertaining men's dominance and attractiveness from male and female acquaintances. On a large American university campus, 63 men from two social fraternities provided anthropometric measurements, facial photographs, voice recordings, and reported mating success (number of sexual partners). These men also assessed each other's dominance, and 72 women from two socially affiliated sororities assessed the men's attractiveness. We measured facial masculinity from inter-landmark distances and vocal masculinity from acoustic parameters. We additionally obtained facial and vocal attractiveness and dominance ratings from unfamiliar observers. Results indicate that dominance and the traits associated with it predict men's mating success, but attractiveness and the traits associated with it do not. These findings point to the salience of contest competition on men's mating success in this population.

2D:4D Is Negatively Associated to Aggressive Dominance in Men: A Response to Voracek (2013)

We do not agree with the interpretation and evaluation of our article by Voracek. We feel that our results and our interpretation of the results are supported by our data analyses and do add to the current understanding of the relationship between 2D:4D and personality. We feel confident we can address many, if not all, of Voracek's criticisms. However, we fully agree that 2D:4D research would benefit from more replication and from the use of larger sample sizes.

Determinants of Higher Fertility Rates in Igunga District, Tanzania: Does Women Empowerment Matter?

This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between women's empowerment and fertility in rural Tanzania. Data were collected from randomly selected 120 women in 4 randomly selected villages from 2 wards in Igunga District using a structured and non-structured questionnaire. Descriptive and regression analyses using Statistical Package for Social Sciences were used to determine the factors for fertility. Women's empowerment was measured by five proxies: economic decision-making, mobility, coercive control, family planning and contraceptive use, as well as family size decision-making. Fertility status was measured by age-specific fertility rates and total fertility rates. The main argument adopted by this study was that higher fertility rates might be lowered through interventions that enhance women empowerment. The results clearly indicate that women in the study area are less empowered based on the adopted indicators and that such lower levels of empowerment together with demographic and cultural factors including men's dominance are responsible for higher fertility in the study area. This study recommends that interventions addressing cultural factors and enhancement of women empowerment may lower higher fertility rates from the study area. Moreover, although this study dealt with women as the unit of data collection and analysis, it is important that such interventions should involve both men and women. This, as seen from male dominance, is important because any change that is expected will come from decisions made by men to change the current situation

SEE TOPSY “RIDE THE LIGHTNING”: THE SCOPIC MACHINERY OF DEATH

abstract: This essay explores the connections between speculation, spectacle, and the death penalty, particularly insofar as they bear on what is “proper to man” and on the man–animal distinction. Returning to a scene of death from Derrida's seminar The Beast and the Sovereign, specifically the scene of an elephant's autopsy, we see how what he calls “the globalization of the autopsic model” of sovereignty requires the death of the animal (Derrida 2009, 296). Following Derrida, we see how man's dominion over other animals is built on a model of sovereignty as necropsy that erects itself through the autopsic model of power, which ultimately is built on the scaffolding of death and the death penalty. Following the history of the death penalty, however, we see that it becomes the property of man through its exercise on animals, particularly through the capital punishment of animals, which inaugurated the codification of law in Europe, and Thomas Edison's electrocution of animals, which inaugurated the electric chair as a form of execution in the United States. Moreover, the case of Edison (who invented both the electric chair and the first moving pictures, many of which were images of execution) makes manifest the connection between spectacle, animals, and the death penalty.

Distance Running as an Ideal Domain for Showing a Sex Difference in Competitiveness

Men are over-represented in the arts, sciences, and sports. This has been hypothesized to reflect an evolved male predisposition for enduring competitiveness or long-term motivation to improve one's performance and "show-off." Evidence for this hypothesis is equivocal, however, because there are viable alternative explanations for men's dominance in most cultural display domains. Here, I argue that distance running is an ideal domain for addressing this issue. Distance running is ideal because it indicates enduring competitiveness, allows objective comparisons, and is accessible, acceptable, and popular for both men and women. I review recent studies and present new data showing that substantially more men than women run relatively fast in the U.S., that this sex difference in relative performance can be attributed, at least in part, to men's greater training motivation, and that this pattern has been stable for several decades. Distance running thus provides compelling evidence for an evolved male predisposition for enduring competitiveness. I conclude with suggestions regarding how variation in achievement motivation can be informed by considering how evolved predispositions interact with environmental and social conditions.

Constructions of masculinity in alcohol advertising: Implications for the prevention of domestic violence

Alcohol advertisements are a potentially potent site for the representations of masculinity and gender relations given alcohol's role as a rite of passage for young men in Western cultures. Concerns about violence against women draw attention to the representations of masculinity that alcohol advertisements privilege and that may have important implications for gender relationships. Traditional masculinities have been associated with domestic violence particularly those that privilege men's dominance, entitlement and control of women. Egalitarian heterosexual relationships or intimacy, which involve compassion, equality and consensual decision-making, protect against domestic violence. In this article, we investigate the literature on alcohol advertising to determine the constructions of masculinity that are portrayed in advertisements particularly those targeting young men. We identify those constructions of masculinity and gender relations that are problematic for healthy, egalitarian, intimate heterosexual relationships and that are therefore problematic for the prevention of domestic violence.

Individual Differences in Women's Perceptions of other Women's Dominance

Recent research on men's dominance perception suggests that the extent to which men perceive masculine men to be more dominant than relatively feminine men is negatively correlated with measures of their own dominance. In the current studies, we investigated the relationship between indices of women's own dominance and their perceptions of other women's facial dominance. Women's own height and scores on a dominance questionnaire were negatively correlated with the extent to which they perceived masculine women to be more dominant than relatively feminine women. In follow–up studies, we observed similar individual differences when (i) women separately judged other women's social and physical dominance, suggesting that individual differences in women's dominance perceptions generalize across two different types of dominance judgment and (ii) we assessed the perceivers’ dominance indirectly by using a questionnaire that measures the extent to which women view interactions with other women in competitive terms. These findings present new evidence that the extent to which people perceive masculine individuals to be more dominant than relatively feminine individuals is negatively correlated with measures of their own dominance and suggest that competition and conflict among women may have shaped individual differences in women's dominance perception. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Gender norms and family planning decision-making in Tanzania: a qualitative study.

Experience suggests that the incorporation of gender approaches into family planning (FP) and reproductive health (RH) programs may increase their impact and sustainability, but further work is needed to examine the interactions between gender norms and family planning and to incorporate this understanding into behavior change communication (BCC) in specific social contexts. We conducted open-ended, in-depth interviews with 30 young currently married men, 30 young married women and 12 older people who influenced FP decisions. Six focus group interviews were also conducted. The interviews focused on the role of gender norms in reproductive decision-making and contraceptive use among young married men and women in Tanzania. The findings suggest that gender factors, such as men's dominance in decision-making do function as barriers to the use of modern contraceptives, but that fear of side effects, by both men and women, may be even more important deterrents. Results from this research will inform the development of BCC interventions to be tested in a subsequent intervention study in which gender factors and poor information about contraceptive methods will be addressed.

Queering the South: The Plantation as Homotopia

In Cotton's Queer Relations, Michael Bibler adds to an emer gent field of scholarship that seeks to uncover both the presence and significance of same-sex desire in southern literature. Bibler offers il luminating and suggestive readings on a range of mid-twentieth cen tury plantation narratives, arguing that same-sex relationships are both a constant, if previously unacknowledged, feature of the southern plan tation and a potentially powerful threat to the same. Bibler focuses on three configurations of same-sex coupling—be tween white men, between white and black women, and between black men—and he frames the project by foregrounding the transgressive po tential these same-sex couplings can have in a plantation context. Draw ing on queer theorist Leo Bersani's notion of homo-ness, which main tains that gay couples' sexual sameness has the potential to equalize other forms of social difference, Bibler argues that instances of same-sex intimacy in plantation narratives provide models of egalitarian social re lations that challenge the hierarchical, heteronormative power structure of the plantation. In addition, Bibler maintains that homosexuality con stitutes a privileged site from which to rethink the vertical networks of power and authority that enable white men's domination of blacks and

Intersectionality, Quotas, and Minority Women's Political Representation Worldwide

The majority of the world's countries have implemented policies designed to advance the political representation of women and/or minority groups. Yet we do not yet understand how these disparate policies affect the election of minority women. In this article, I draw on theories of intersectionality to conduct the first worldwide analysis of the effects of gender and minority quotas on minority women's representation in national legislatures. Using hierarchical linear modeling, I analyze how quotas influence the election of women from more than 300 racial, ethnic, and religious groups across 81 countries. I find that policies designed to promote the political representation of women and minority groups interact to produce diverse but predictable outcomes for minority women. Although quotas are ostensibly designed to promote diversity and inclusiveness, the quota policies in effect today rarely challenge majority men's dominance of national legislatures.

Perceptions of partner femininity predict individual differences in men's sensitivity to facial cues of male dominance

Recent research suggests that men may possess adaptations that evolved to counter strategic variation in women's preferences for masculine men. For example, women's preferences for masculine, dominant men are stronger during the fertile phase of the menstrual cycle than at other times and men demonstrate increased sensitivity to facial cues of male dominance when their partners are ovulating. Such variation in men's dominance perceptions may promote effi- cient allocation of men's mate guarding effort (i.e., allocate more mate guarding effort in response to masculine, dominant men in situations where women show particularly strong preferences for such men). Here, we tested for further evidence of adaptations that may have evolved to counter strategic variation in women's masculinity preferences. Men who reported having particularly feminine romantic partners demonstrated a greater tendency to attribute dominance to masculin- ized male faces than did men who reported having relatively masculine romantic partners. This relationship between partner femininity and men's sensitivity to facial cues of male dominance remained significant when we controlled for potential confounds (men's age, self-rated masculin- ity, reported commitment to their relationship, and the length of the relationship) and may be adaptive given that feminine women demonstrate particularly strong preferences for masculine, dominant men. While previous research has emphasized variation in women's masculinity prefer- ences, our findings add to a growing body of research suggesting that sexual selection may also have shaped adaptations that evolved to counter such systematic variation in women's preferences for masculine, dominant men.

Ekologiczna wymowa dialektyki oświecenia

The title of this paper relates directly to the celebrated work of Max Horkheimer and Theodor W. Adorno: Dialektik der Aufklärung. Philosophische Fragmente. It shows as dialectical because of the ideas associated with engaging the rational mastery of the world from the degeneration of the practical ideas in increasingly sophisticated forms of man's dominion over man. Ecological interpretation of such understanding of the dialectic of Enlightenment gives it a modern expression in the sense that it points to one of the most pressing contemporary problems, born of the mythical inspiration functioning of enlightened reason, and today, in the name of being a man claiming to be his task to demythologize reality. Broadly speaking, in the name of human freedom the idea is to overcome the enlightenment tradition of freedom or its’ degeneration in more subtle forms of practical denial. This study follows this line of reasoning and expresses the conviction that today appears to illustrate the dialectic of enlightenment in environmental and bioethical issues.

Los artífices del <i>Plus Ultra</i>: pilotos, cartógrafos y cosmógrafos en la Casa de la Contratación de Sevilla durante el siglo XVI

This article demonstrates how the institutionalization of cosmography and navigation ended with the slogan Non Terrae Plus Ultra , and led to the emergence of imperial heading Plus Ultra helped by the navigation of a Mare Tenebrosum (the Atlantic Ocean), and the delineation of the contours of a new world that began beyond the Columns of Hercules. This process was made possible by the establishment in Seville of the House of Trade in 1503 and the creation of scientific offices such as Pilot Major, master of making nautical charts or cosmographer. The ship appears on the cover of the Regimiento de navegacion (1606) by Andres Garcia de Cespedes across the pillars of the hero of Greek mythology highlights the Baconian premise of man's dominion over nature, the knowledge gained through the conquest of the West Indies, and also the wishes of the Spanish monarchy by taking advantage of the usefulness of scientific knowledge by joining the nautical experience and cosmographical theory.

Tackling femininity: The heterosexual paradigm and women's soccer in South Africa

Sport is a social institution that perpetuates gendered ideologies in the wider society through appealing to discourses of the naturalness of men's privilege and domination in society. Heteronormativity regulates the roles, behaviours, appearances and sexualities of, and relationships between and among, women and men. Moreover, heteronormative discourses normalise a particular relationship between sex, gender and sexuality that posits woman/feminine/heterosexual (and man/masculine/heterosexual) as a natural order from which variance is considered a punishable deviance. This paper outlines the effects of heteronormative discourses in the lives of women footballers in South Africa, through drawing on interviews with a wide range of women footballers. The paper shows how heteronormative discourses nurture homophobic attitudes that serve to regulate the appearances and performances of South African women.

"Culture-a-Go-Go": The Ghirardelli Square Sculpture Controversy and the Liberation of Civic Design in the 1960s

In the early 1960s, historic Ghirardelli Square was crafted from old factory buildings by leading modernist architects, landscape architects, and innumerable allied artists, and to great acclaim emerged from the transformative crosscurrents of the Bay Area in that decade. In 1968 a public controversy over a new sculpture in Ghirardelli stirred latent attitudes towards the Square as a civic place and as an artifact of urban design. Landscape architect Lawrence Halprin's demand for the removal of Ruth Asawa's mermaid sculpture galvanized debate over men's domination of the symbols and design of urban public space. While it began as a formulaic battle over the appropriateness of abstract or representational art, the controversy revealed that a different modernism was at stake, namely the boundaries of feminism, and the presence of women and female sexuality in public places. In the local context, the mermaids offered either a wholesome, maternal alternative to the neighboring topless club scene, or confirmed fears of an encroaching, corrupting public sexuality. Focusing on the Square and sculpture controversy, this essay explores how such civic-commercial sites brokered as well as distilled urban transformation. The generational revolutions in San Francisco and the national experimentations with urban redevelopment were woven together. These two stories of arts and place-the local and the national-intertwined as San Francisco's rebuilding crossed boundaries and redrew distinctions between historical and modern, preservation and renewal, men's and women's realms, art and urban design, benign form and radical content, and civic and commercial space.

Intimate Terrorism by Women Towards Men: Does it Exist?

Research showing that women commit high rates of intimate partner violence (IPV) against men has been controversial because IPV is typically framed as caused by the patriarchal construction of society and men's domination over women. Johnson's (1995) typology of common couple violence (CCV) and intimate terrorism (IT) attempted to resolve this controversy, but he maintained that IT was caused by patriarchy and committed almost exclusively by men. This study investigates Johnson's theory as it applies to a sample of 302 men who sustained IPV from their female partners and sought help, and a comparison sample of community men. Results showed that the male helpseekers sample was comprised of victims of IT and that violence by the male victims was part of a pattern of what Johnson labels violent resistance. Men in the community sample who were involved in IPV conformed to Johnson's description of CCV. Results are discussed in terms of research, policy, and practice implications of acknowledging women's use of severe IPV and controlling behavior against their male partners.

Autonomia świata a podmiotowość człowieka w ekoteologii

One of the most difficult problems, which is to be solved by contemporary culture, is the ecological problem. It concerns the culture because the hedonistic and consumerist mentality of man plays an important part in it. Biocentrism states that the ecological problem results from traditional Western attitudes to the non-human world based on the belief that humans are the central and most significant entities in the universe. Biocentrism puts forward a teleological argument for the protection of the environment. It indicates that non-human species have inherent value as well and each organism has a purpose and a reason for being, which should be respected. Biocentrism states that the anthropocentric attitude to the non-human world results from the Christian worldview based on the Bible where it is written that God gives man dominion over all creatures. The author analyses the main issues of the Catholic concept of the relationship between human beings and other creatures. He indicates that ecotheology respects the inherent value of non-human creatures because, as the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the modern world Gaudium et spes says: “all things are endowed with their own stability, truth, goodness, proper laws and order”, but maintains that the purpose of the world is connected with its relationship to God. The author considers also what is the human subjectivity in behaving towards the environment and what is the dependence between the autonomy of the world and the subjectivity of man in ecotheology. In the end, the author comes to the conclusion that according to ecotheology the ecological problem results from the broken relationship between the human and God and in consequence it the broken relationship between the world and God.

Taller men are less sensitive to cues of dominance in other men

Male dominance rank, physical strength, indices of reproductive success, and indices of reproductive potential are correlated with masculine characteristics in many animal species, including humans. Accordingly, men generally perceive masculinized versions of men's faces and voices to be more dominant than feminized versions. Less dominant men incur greater costs when they incorrectly perceive the dominance of rivals. Consequently, it may be adaptive for less dominant men to be particularly sensitive to cues of dominance in other men. Because height is a reliable index of men's dominance, we investigated the relationship between own height and men's sensitivity to masculine characteristics when judging the dominance of other men's faces and voices. Although men generally perceived masculinized faces and voices to be more dominant than feminized versions, this effect of masculinity on dominance perceptions was significantly greater among shorter men than among taller men. These findings suggest that differences among men in the potential costs of incorrectly perceiving the dominance of rivals have shaped systematic variation in men's perceptions of the dominance of potential rivals.

An Intersectional Approach to Resistance and Complicity: The Case of Racialised Desire among Asian American Women

Feminist research on non-Western/non-white women's sexual relationships and romantic desires for white Western men suggests they strategically engage a discourse glorifying white masculinity to resist ‘ethnic patriarchy’. In this paper, I offer an intersectional method for analysing the limits of this form of resistance within the matrix of gender and racial oppression by posing the question: where is the complicity with racism in this resistance to male domination? An analysis of interviews with 128 second-generation Korean and Vietnamese American women finds those who express a desire for white men invoke racialised gender stereotypes of masculinity that idealise white Western men as romantic ‘egalitarian knights’ and denigrate Asian American men as inferior, domineering partners. Those respondents who prefer white men see it as a strategy for resisting Asian American men's gender oppression; however, they overlook white men's gender oppression and some Asian American men's commitment to gender egalitarianism. The analysis finds respondents commonly draw on four widely circulating ideologies promoting white men's racial and gender domination in explaining their romantic preferences, they are a belief in: (1) essential racial differences, (2) white male supremacy, (3) ‘Orientalism’ and (4) pro-assimilationism. These findings suggest that the intersectionality of gender, racial and other forms of domination requires the rejection of simplistic either/or models of resistance and complicity and the need to consider how resisting one form of domination can inadvertently reproduce another form.