Men's Preferences Research Articles

Do We Need Chaperones for Intimate Examination in Urology Clinics? Patients' Preferences and Urologists' Practice in Scotland

Introduction: General Medical Council (GMC) guidelines and the Ayling report recommend that a chaperone should be offered to all patients for every intimate examination. We wanted to establish whether these guidelines reflect men's preferences and urologists' current practice in intimate examination. Methods: All male patients attending urology outpatient clinics over a 3 month period at two hospitals were asked to fill in a preference questionnaire. A separate questionnaire was sent to all urologists in Scotland to establish the current practice. Results: 315 patients returned evaluable questionnaires. While 227 patients (73%) felt that a chaperone should be offered, only 45 patients (14.3%) wanted a chaperone. Of these, only 15 patients (4.8%) would not have been comfortable to ask for a chaperone. 64 (75.3%) Scottish urologists responded and only 3 (4.7%) urologists offered a chaperone to all male patients. 47 (73.4%) urologists did not routinely counsel patients about intimate examination under anaesthesia as part of transurethral surgery. Conclusion: Most men do not wish a chaperone to be present. Recommended best practice will protect the small minority of patients who want to have a chaperone. This involves the offer of a chaperone to all patients and accurate record keeping in the patient's case note.

Gender differences in specialty preference and mismatch with real needs in Japanese medical students

BackgroundThe shortage of doctors and maldistribution among specialties are of great concern in the Japanese health care system. This study investigated specialty preference in medical students of one university, and examined gender differences and compared their preference with real needs.MethodsWe conducted a self-administered questionnaire including specialty preference in all students of one medical university. Preference was assessed by the five-level probability of their future choice: 1 = very low, 2 = low, 3 = moderate, 4 = high, and 5 = very high. The proportion of 4 or 5 was calculated as the preference rate. The real needs (magnitude of doctor shortage) in the prefecture were drawn from two different surveys. The relationship between the sex-specific preference rate by specialty and real needs was assessed by Spearman's correlation coefficient.ResultsInternal medicine showed the highest preference rate, followed by general surgery, pediatrics, and emergency medicine. There was no significant correlation between the preference rates of men and women (r = 0.27, p = 0.34). The preference rates for general surgery, orthopedics, neurosurgery, and emergency medicine were significantly higher in men than in women, while those of obstetrics & gynecology, pediatrics, and dermatology were significantly higher in women. The magnitude of doctor shortage by specialty from two surveys were significantly correlated with the total preference rate and men's preference rate (r = 0.54 to 0.74), but not with women's preference rate (r = 0.06 and 0.32).ConclusionsThis study elucidated not only gender differences in specialty preference but also the relationship to real needs. Critical gender differences and mismatch with real needs were found in women. In addition to traditional gender roles and insufficient support for women's participation in Japan, gender differences and mismatch influence the current and future maldistribution of specialties. Systematic changes in the working environment in medical society are required to solve these problems.

Deconstructing Fixed Identities: An Intersectional Analysis of Russian-speaking Female Marriage Migrants' Self-representations

Through in-depth qualitative research with Russian-speaking female migrants in Belgium, the present paper aims to deconstruct the category of ‘Russian female marriage migrants'. By explicitly interrogating Russian-speaking women's own or co-ethnics’ choice for a Belgian partner, their perceptions of Belgian men's preference for a Russian-speaking wife and their experienced (mixed couple) life in Belgium, we highlight the diversity within the group of Russian-speaking female marriage migrants in Belgium. The intersectional approach permits us to uncover social categories and power relations fundamentally shaping Russian-speaking females' senses of identity and (self-)representations, how these categories and power relations intersect, and what intersections are particularly salient in certain situations. Intersectionality is used as a theoretical approach and a methodology.

Men prefer less powerful women

Men prefer less powerful women

THE ROLE OF RELATIONSHIP POWER IN COUPLE DECISIONS ABOUT CONTRACEPTION IN THE US

Most analyses of the contraceptive decision-making in which couples engage are based on the reports of only one partner, usually the female partner. This study uses information from the 2006 National Couples Survey conducted in the US, which was obtained from both partners in intimate heterosexual relationships to investigate the relative impact of the male and female partner's method preferences on the type of method they use together. It also investigates the extent to which differences in power between the partners, measured on multiple dimensions, may weigh the decision-making process toward one partner or the other. The results suggest that men's and women's method preferences are both significantly related to the couples' method choice. Further, there is no evidence of a significant gender difference in the magnitude of these relationships, although women in married and cohabiting relationships appear to have greater power over method choice than women in dating relationships. The analysis also finds that structural power as measured by relative education and income affects partner differences in the relationship between preferences and method choice, but is more important for married and cohabiting couples than for dating couples. In contrast, relationship-based power sources, including relative commitment and relative relationship alternatives, have significant effects only for dating couples.

The Gendered Double Standard of Aging in US Marriage Markets

Using data on marriages collected in most US states between 1970 and 1988, we show that the older men are when they marry, the more years senior to their brides they are, whether it is a first or higher‐order marriage. While older men with more education marry down in age slightly more than less educated older men, the pattern of men marrying further down if they marry later holds strongly for all education groups. We consider several possible explanations for the tendency of men to marry further down in age if they are older at marriage. While we have no direct measure of physical attractiveness, we argue that the most compelling interpretation is that men, more than women, evaluate potential spouses on the basis of appearance. Because the prevailing standard of beauty favors young women, the older men are when they marry, the less they find women their own age attractive relative to younger women, leading them to marry further down in age if they are older at marriage. The consequence for women of men's preference for youth is more often that they remain unmarried than that they end up married to much older or less educated men.

Gender Occupational Segregation in an Equilibrium Search Model

This paper develops an equilibrium search model to explain gender asymmetry in occupational distribution. Workers' utility depends on salary and working hours, and women have a greater aversion to market hours than men. Simulations indicate that women crowd into shorter-hour, lower-paying jobs than men. If employers discriminate against women, offers are tailored more toward men's preferences; employers require longer working hours, and fewer women work at these jobs. Similarly, if women have a disutility factor in their utility toward positions with a higher proportion of men, fewer women work at these jobs. In both cases, gender segregation is reinforced.

A domain-specific opposite-sex bias in human preferences for manipulated voice pitch

Women's preferences for masculine characteristics in men's voices and men's preferences for feminine characteristics in women's voices are thought to reflect adaptations that identify high-quality (e.g. healthy) mates. Consistent with this proposal, we found that men had stronger preferences than women for women's voices with raised pitch (i.e. feminized female voices) and that women had stronger preferences than men for men's voices with lowered pitch (i.e. masculinized male voices). Importantly, however, no such opposite-sex bias was evident for attributions of dominance to voices with raised and lowered pitch; men's and women's voices with lowered pitch were perceived to be more dominant than those with raised pitch and these effects were equivalent for male and female listeners. Collectively, our findings suggest that preferences for voice pitch may function, at least in part, to identify high-quality mates and show that opposite-sex biases in preferences for voice pitch cannot be explained simply by greater general sensitivity to manipulated pitch in opposite-sex voices than in own-sex voices.

Women's Liberation: What's in It for Men?*

The nineteenth century witnessed dramatic improvements in the legal rights of married women. Given that these changes took place long before women gained the right to vote, they amounted to a voluntary renouncement of power by men. In this paper, we investigate men's incentives for sharing power with women. In our model, women's legal rights set the marital bargaining power of husbands and wives. We show that men face a tradeoff between the rights they want for their own wives (namely none) and the rights of other women in the economy. Men prefer other men's wives to have rights because men care about their own daughters and because an expansion of women's rights increases educational investments in children. We show that men may agree to relinquish some of their power once technological change increases the importance of human capital. We corroborate our argument with historical evidence on the expansion of women's rights in England and the United States.

Mixed Methods Study of Social Engagement in Assisted Living Communities: Challenges and Implications for Serving Older Men

The purpose of the study was to explore unique experiences and challenges for older men in assisted living (AL) communities. Although evidence suggests that men may socialize differently from women, little is known about how social engagement is experienced by men in long-term care settings. A sequential mixed methods design was used in that a quantitative study (N = 82; men = 21) was followed by qualitative in-depth interviews (N = 29; men = 9). Participants were selected from eight AL communities in a Southern state. Results indicate that men's social worlds are limited and AL practices do not favor men's preferences. Practice implications in AL communities are discussed.

Connecting masculinities and physical activity among senior South Asian Canadian immigrant men

Senior South Asian (SA) men experience many health challenges which may be exacerbated by immigration. However, little is known about the health practices of this subgroup of men, including how they conceptualize connections between exercise, health and illness. An ethnographic qualitative study including fieldwork and participant observations at South Asian men's groups (SAMGs) based in British Columbia (BC), Canada and individual interviews with 36 attendees (group leaders and non-leader group members) were conducted to better understand how masculinity (as it intersects with culture, social class and age) informs and influences men's physical activity. The findings indicated that few men linked exercise with specific illnesses; however, age-induced musculoskeletal impairment and a cold, wet Canadian climate were the main restrictors of men's physical activity. Traditional SA cultures and in some cases economic hardship influenced men's preference for walking to socially connect with other men, while strenuous activity was detailed in nostalgic ways as a previously used tool for securing paid labor. The results indicate varying masculine identities, roles and relations in how men conceptualized and embodied physical activity, some of which were incongruent with Western ideals about men and exercise. Collectivism was a prevailing SA cultural norm for participants, which should be thoughtfully considered in the design and distribution of exercise-based health promotion programs targeted to senior SA Canadian immigrant men.

남성 의복과 헤어스타일이 전문성 및 선호도 평가에 미치는 영향

본 연구는 지각자의 성별, 의복, 헤어스타일이 남성의 전문성 및 선호도의 시각적 평가에 미치는 영향을 조사하는데 그 목적이 있었다. 연구방법은 준실험방법이었으며, 실험설계는 <TEX>$2\times8\times2$</TEX>(지각자의 성별<TEX>$\times$</TEX>의복<TEX>$\times$</TEX>헤어스타일)의 요인설계를 사용하였다. 자극물은 20대 남성의 사진 16장이었다. 의복은 베이지색과 남색의 테일러드 칼라 재킷, 베이지색, 남색, 빨강색의 점퍼와 스웨터였고, 하의는 청바지를 착용하였다. 헤어스타일은 길이에 따라 짧은형과 중간형으로 구분하였다. 조사대상자는 서울지역의 남성 208명과 여성 223명이었다. 청바지와 함께 베이지색 스웨터를 착용하는 것은 지성적 이미지가 높게 보였고, 빨강색 점퍼의 착용은 지성적 이미지가 낮게 보였으며, 베이지색 재킷은 역능적 이미지가 낮게 평가되었다. 남성의 짧은 헤어스타일은 중간형 헤어스타일보다 전문성이 높게 평가되었다. 남자 지각자는 여자보다 짧은 헤어스타일을 더 선호하였으나 여자는 헤어스타일 선호도가 유사하였다. 여자는 테일러드 칼라의 재킷과 수티앵 칼라의 점퍼에 대한 선호도가 유사하였으나 남자는 재킷보다 점퍼의 선호도가 더 높았다. 베이지색 재킷에는 중간형 헤어스타일, 빨강 스웨터에는 짧은 헤어스타일이 전문성이 높게 평가되었다. 남자 지각자는 청바지에 수티앵 칼라의 점퍼를 착용한 것을 청바지에 테일러드 칼라의 재킷을 착용한 것보다 더 긍정적으로 평가함으로써 남자가 여자보다 옷차림에 대해 보수적인 태도를 나타냈다. 또한 청바지 차림에서는 점퍼를 입고 짧은 헤어스타일을 한 남자가 긍정적으로 평가되었고, 재킷을 입고 중간형 헤어스타일을 한 남자는 부정적으로 지각되었다. 결론적으로 베이지색 재킷에는 중간형 머리, 빨강 스웨터에는 짧은형 머리가 전문성이 높게 보였으므로 의복과 헤어스타일이 상호작용하여 전문성 평가에 영향을 준다고 할 수 있다. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of perceiver's gender, clothing, and hairstyle on the visual evaluation of men's professionalism and preference. A quasi-experimental method by questionnaire was used. The experimental design was a <TEX>$2\times8\times2$</TEX> (perceiver's gender <TEX>$\times$</TEX> clothing <TEX>$\times$</TEX> hairstyle) factorial design by 3 independent variables. The stimuli were 16 photographs of a man in his twenties. The upper clothing of the man included tailored collar jackets in beige and dark blue colors, and jumpers and sweaters in beige, dark blue, and red colors. The lower clothing of the men included jean pants. Two types of the hairstyles included short hair and medium length hair. The subjects were 208 men and 223 women in Seoul, Korea. Wearing a beige sweater with jean pants was evaluated high in intellectual image, a red jumper was perceived low in intellectual image, and a beige tailored collar jacket was evaluated low in potent image. Men's short hairstyle was evaluated to be more professional than the medium length hair. Male perceivers liked short hair more than medium length hair, but female perceivers evaluated both hairstyles similarly. In the case of women, the preferences of tailored collared jacket and soutien collared jumper were similar, but jumper was preferred to jacket in the case of men. Male perceivers showed more positive feedback towards jean pants with soutien collared jumper than jeans with tailored collared jacket, which indicated that men showed more conservative attitude towards the outfit than women. The man who was wearing a jumper with short hair was evaluated positively and the man who was wearing a jacket with medium length hair was evaluated negatively when the attires were coordinated with jean pants. In conclusion, medium length hairstyle with a beige jacket and short hairstyle with a red sweater were evaluated as professional image; and the results indicated that clothing and hairstyle interact with each other and influence the evaluation of professionalism.

Sexual and reproductive health in men with cystic fibrosis: Consistent preferences, inconsistent practices

Background Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) is increasingly relevant for men with CF. However, the extent of similarities or differences in SRH clinical practices across different centres or states is unknown as single clinic studies are not informative about variations in male preferences or clinical practices. We wished to determine the variability of male SRH knowledge and preferences, and clinical practices across different CF clinics. Methods Men attending 5 adult CF clinics in Australasia completed a survey of SRH knowledge, attitudes and behaviours. Results 264 (64%) men participated, with a median age of 30 years (17–56). 65% knew of near universal infertility due to a transport problem. 43% heard about infertility from their preferred source, but significantly later than desired. Less than half had undergone semen analysis (SA), which, while varying by site, was consistently later than preferred. 57 men were fathers, of whom 29 had utilised ART. Conclusion Men's preferences around SRH were more consistent than clinical practices. Clinical practice guidelines and training for health professionals would help reduce the gap between men's SRH preferences and clinical practice.

Men prefer averagely shaped women

Men prefer averagely shaped women

Men's preferences for women's profile waist‐to‐hip ratio, breast size, and ethnic group in Britain and South Africa

One particular aspect of the literature on preferences for female body shapes has focused on the purported universality of preferences for a low waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), despite substantial evidence of cross-cultural variability in such preferences. In the present study, we examined the effects of manipulating women's profile WHR, breast size, and ethnicity on men's ratings of physical attractiveness and health. A total of 51 African men in South Africa, 56 British Africans, and 114 British Caucasians rated 12 line drawings that varied in two levels of ethnicity, three levels of WHR, and two levels of breast size. Overall, the results suggested that there were cross-cultural differences in preferred body shape, with the preferred body configuration varying as a function of the ethnicity of the figure being rated. In addition, there was a strong positive correlation between ratings of attractiveness and health. These findings are discussed in relation to the interplay between culture and evolution in determining ideals of attractiveness.

You'll “Get Viagraed:” Mexican men's preference for alternative erectile dysfunction treatment

The pharmaceutically focused clinical and epidemiological literature on erectile dysfunction (ED) treatment has paid little attention to men's non-medical responses to changing erectile function. This study explores the relationship of erectile function change, resulting use of medical or alternative treatments, and Mexican men's understandings of masculinity and aging, through a mixed method approach utilizing both quantitative survey and ethnographic interview data. A survey of 750 men undertaken at the Instituto Méxicano del Seguro Social hospital in Cuernavaca, Mexico in April to June 2008 showed that only about half of those who experienced erectile function changes sought treatment for these changes; treatment users were far more likely to seek alternative treatment than medical treatment, especially preferring lifestyle change and vitamins. Ethnographic data from interviews with 250 male urology patients undertaken from October 2007 to August 2008 at the same site reveal that treatment users' preferences were linked to fears about the safety and situational inappropriateness of medical ED treatment. These findings suggest that by focusing on patients' use of pharmaceuticals, biomedically oriented research has overlooked the most common responses to changing erectile function. Broadening the focus of ED treatment research to include analysis of men's rejection of pharmaceutical treatment - either in favor of alternative treatment, or because they do not see their erectile function changes as requiring medical intervention - would correct this imbalance in the literature. Further, the knowledge that even men who seek treatment may prefer alternatives to pharmaceutical interventions will help physicians to offer treatments, such as lifestyle change, that their patients might find more acceptable. Such measures would simultaneously help to mitigate the chronic illnesses, like diabetes and hypertension, which frequently co-occur with diminished erectile function.

Nursing instructors’ and male nursing students’ perceptions of undergraduate, classroom nursing education

Attrition rates of male nursing students exceed those of females yet the experiences of male students in nursing school are poorly understood. This interpretive ethnographic study explored the experiences of male nursing students and female nursing instructors in the context of classroom education. Data collection consisted of participant observation of classroom teaching sessions followed by interviews with six male nursing students who were participants in the classes and six female nursing instructors who taught the classes. Themes resulting from data analysis addressed men's roles in the nursing classroom and the culture of nursing education. The theme of "nursing like a real man" was characterized by men's reliance on roles and behaviours associated with traditional masculinities including leadership, assertiveness and risk-taking. The theme of "masculinities in a feminine place" captured the gendered culture of nursing education which manifested in stereotypes and a sexualized identity, where men saw themselves as accommodated but not integrated. "Diversity between masculine and feminine" communicated the incongruity between men's educational preferences and the techniques that predominate in nursing education. These findings suggest that nursing instructors need to consider gender in their teaching practice, avoid parody or stereotypes of masculinities, and reject assumptions that male students are homogeneous.

Sexual Desire, Communication, Satisfaction, and Preferences of Men and Women in Same-Sex Versus Mixed-Sex Relationships

In an online study, measures of subjective sexual experiences in one's current relationship were compared across four groups: Men and women in mixed-sex (i.e., heterosexual) and same-sex (i.e., homosexual) relationships. Results indicated far more similarities than differences across the four groups, with groups reporting almost identical sexual repertoires, and levels of sexual communcation with partner. Men reported experiencing somewhat more sexual desire than women, while women reported slightly higher levels of general sexual satisfaction than men. Those in same-sex relationships reported slightly higher levels of sexual desire than those in mixed-sex relationships. Compared to the other three groups, heterosexual men reported deriving somewhat less satisfaction from the more tender, sensual, or erotic sexual activities. Implications of these findings for sex therapists are discussed.

Voice pitch alters mate-choice-relevant perception in hunter–gatherers

In humans, voice pitch is thought to be a cue of underlying quality and an important criterion for mate choice, but data from non-Western cultures have not been provided. Here we test attributions to and preferences for voices with raised and lowered pitch in hunter-gatherers. Using a forced-choice playback experiment, we found that both men and women viewed lower pitched voices in the opposite sex as being better at acquiring resources (e.g. hunting and gathering). While men preferred higher pitched women's voices as marriage partners, women showed no overall preference for voice pitch in men. However, women who were currently breastfeeding had stronger preferences for higher pitched male voices whereas women not currently breastfeeding preferred lower pitched voices. As testosterone is considered a costly signal associated with dominance, heritable immunity to infection and low paternal investment, women's preferences potentially reflect a trade-off between securing good genes and paternal investment. Men's preferences for higher pitched female voices are probably due to an evolved preference for markers of fecundity, reflected in voice pitch.

Acceptability and use of sexual barrier products and lubricants among HIV-seropositive Zambian men.

This study assessed the acceptability and preference for sexual barrier and lubricant products among men in Zambia following trial and long-term use. It also examined the role of men's preferences as facilitators or impediments to product use for HIV transmission reduction within the Zambian context. HIV-seropositive and -serodiscordant couples were recruited from HIV voluntary counseling and testing centers in Lusaka between 2003 and 2006; 66% of those approached agreed to participate. HIV seropositive male participants participated in a product exposure group intervention (n = 155). Participants were provided with male and female condoms and vaginal lubricants (Astroglide [BioFilm, Inc., Vista, CA] & KY gels [Johnson & Johnson, Langhorne, PA], Lubrin suppositories [Kendwood Therapuetics, Fairfield, NJ]) over three sessions; assessments were conducted at baseline, monthly over 6 months and at 12 months. At baseline, the majority of men reported no previous exposure to lubricant products or female condoms and high (79%) levels of consistent male condom use in the last 7 days. Female condom use increased during the intervention, and male condom use increased at 6 months and was maintained over 12 months. The basis for decisions regarding lubricant use following product exposure was most influenced by a preference for communicating with partners; participant preference for lubricant products was distributed between all three products. Results illustrate the importance of development of a variety of products for prevention of HIV transmission and of inclusion of male partners in interventions to increase sexual barrier product use to facilitate barrier acceptability and use in Zambia.