Politics Of Masculinity Research Articles

Communists, cowboys, and queers: the politics of masculinity in the work of Arthur Miller and Tennesse Williams

Communists, cowboys, and queers: the politics of masculinity in the work of Arthur Miller and Tennesse Williams

The Cultural Politics of Masculinity: Towards a Social Geography

Drawing on the concept of cultural politics, this paper explores the cultural construction of gender identities among men and women, emphasizing their historical and geographical specificity. It examines the extent to which patriarchal gender relations lead to the oppression of some (gay and heterosexual) men as well as being inherently exploitative of women. Notwithstanding the powerful fit between 'dominant' (or hegemonic) masculinity and 'compliant' (subordinate) femininity, the paper recognizes a plurality of masculinities and femininities, accessed through a selection of representations of gender difference. While new forms of masculinity may have emerged from the challenge of feminism and gay political activism, the weight of evidence points to the resilience of patriarchal structures rather than to any dramatic shift in the balance of power between men and women. The paper provides new evidence from current research in Bradford. It concludes with an agenda for future research on the spatial structures that underpin dominant forms of masculinity and indicate the lines of possible resistance.

Feminine Power and Masculine Politics

Feminine Power and Masculine Politics

Women and Political Leadership in Mexico: A Comparative Study of Female and Male Political Elites

RECENT SCHOLARSHIP HAS begun to pay closer attention to the political role of women. However, the existing information on this subject is, for the most part, from political cultures with predominantly English or West European groups, and women in political leadership of the more traditional developing countries have received very little attention. Furthermore, most studies examine mass female roles, particularly focusing on women's knowledge and interest in governmental affairs. The following is an effort to close this gap by providing information on the role of women as leaders in Mexican politics. Such a study, in general terms, might suggest what role, if any, women would play in changing government policies once they reach leadership positions. Mexico is a useful country to examine because it represents the stereotype of masculine supremacy, social cleavages, and authoritarian politics predominant in many countries. The purpose of this article is to examine briefly the literature available on Mexican women in general, and their political roles in particular. Further, I will suggest several hypotheses concerning the political role of women on the basis of this literature and studies

Toward a Homosocial Theory of Sex Roles: An Explanation of the Sex Segregation of Social Institutions

Occupational segregation of women is a major reflection of the generalized segregation that characterizes all aspects of Western social life. It is the visible sign of a massive institutional substructure on which we are most likely to founder unless we are able to find a way around it. Two of the papers in this section deal with macrosociological segregation patterns that link different institutional sectors of society: Safilios-Rothschild addresses the question of sex segregation in the articulation between the institutions of the family and the occupational world; Gates explicates the ways in which the legal institutions buttress the segregation of the domestic and occupational domains. The Laws paper, operating on a different level of analysis, looks at different theoretical approaches to women's segregated involvement in the labor force.