MODULE 6

LEARNING MODULE
BLENDED FLEXIBLE LEARNING
Gender and Society ( ELEC 212 )

AN OVERVIEW

INTRODUCTION

Over the past several years, toxic masculinity has become a catchall explanation
for male violence and sexism. The term describes “toxic” traits such as aggression
and self-entitlement from “healthy” masculinity. With this, the American
Psychological Association also introduced new guidelines for therapists working with
boys and men, warning that extreme forms of certain “traditional” masculine traits
are linked to aggression, misogyny, and negative health outcomes. This module will
further discuss the concept of masculinity.

LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of this module, you should be able to:

1. To define masculinity.
2. To identify the concept of masculinity in the Philippines.
3. To describe masculinity as a power.

LEARNING RESOURCES

Ebia, E. & Cornejo N. (2016). Society & Culture. Mindshapers Co., Inc.

LEARNING INPUTS

WHAT MAKES A MAN A MAN?

LESSON 1

One can say that man is strong, but the degree of strength one may have
depended on age, biology, and physical ability. Similarly, people may have different
kinds of strength, from physical to emotional and even mental. Is a man less of a
man because he is physically weaker than his wife? Or because he earns less than his
female counterpart? Manhood is something that one can describe through
adjectives- tough, brave, strong but whose definition is often continuously evolving.
Sociologist Michael Kimmel, for example, describes the specific meaning of
masculinity to be fluid, though one thing remains constant the need to prove one’s
masculinity, regardless of how it is defined in a given culture at a specific period.

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In his book, he identified four rules of masculinity:

1. No Sissy Stuff: Masculinity is based on the relentless repudiation of the

feminine. Masculinity is never being a sissy.
2. Bea Big Wheel: We measure masculinity by the size of your paycheck.
Wealth, power, and status are all markers of masculinity.
3. Be a Sturdy Oak: What makes a man a man is that he is reliable in a crisis.
And what makes him reliable in a crisis is that he resembles an inanimate
object. A rock, a pillar, a tree.
4. Give 'em Hell: Exude an aura of daring and aggression. Take risks; live life on
the edge. Go for it.

While these factors may have changed, some remain true until today but in
different forms. Joseph Vandello and Jennifer Bosson, two psychologists who study
manhood, added that there are various forms of masculinities, although, at a given
time, only one masculinity dominates the gender hierarchy above all femininities and
other masculinities. This is known as hegemonic masculinity. It explains why some
men who act a certain way feel as though they can dominate both men and women.
Vandello and Bosson also show factors that surround manhood: It is hard to win,
requires a constant proof, and is easy to lose.

LESSON 2 PROVING MASCULINITY

Gender is an identity that is socially constructed through interaction. The

constant need to prove one’s masculinity along with the notion that it is hard to win
and easy to lose makes one wonder: Who do men need to prove themselves to? One
myth of manhood is that men act to prove themselves to women. But the fact that
masculinity is so strongly connected to a shared gender identity shows that men
must prove their masculinity to other men. Men perform their masculinity mostly to
and for other men. They also compare themselves to other men as was done in
childhood learning. Women may even be the objects or means to the end of
impressing other men.

As stated by Vandlong Boson, first, manhood is hard to win. While no actual

rituals signal the transition of a boy into manhood, various subcultures devise ways
to initiate a boy into male adulthood. These rituals may include initiation processes
to enter fraternities, gangs, or even clubs. Others may win manhood through
physical activities, sports, or even through public acts of homophobia. The idea that
manhood requires proof places men in positions to commit dangerous or violent

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tasks. Alternatively, men will also avoid or even ridicule tasks that challenge their
manhood, such as doing activities normally performed by women.

An example of masculine culture is lad culture. It is a "variety of masculinities

and cultures in UK university communities, which men and women may move into
and out of, but which may shape their identities and attitudes and frame their
experience of university life."

Lad culture is a concept often linked to the crisis of masculinity in the West.
In this campus culture, men in colleges or universities perpetuate traditions that
objectify and sexualize others, usually women and the LGBT. This practice is done to
reclaim their “manhood” as a possible backlash to feminism and the empowerment
of women. Lad culture is related to raunch culture because of the potential harm it
can cause students, from binge drinking to harassment. It is often associated with
pressing issues such as violence against women in schools sexual harassment, and
discrimination against the LGBT, certain religious groups, or ethnicities.

In the US, the counterpart of lad culture is the hookup culture on campuses.
Here, sexual activity is regarded as the transition marker from boyhood into
manhood. The use of sexuality to define masculinity has shown that boys either use
their socialized gender traits to enact their sexuality or use their sexuality to
represent their socialized gender traits - power, detachment, competition.

LESSON 3 MASCULINITY AS POWER

The ever-pervading fear of losing one’s masculinity may be tied to the fear of
losing power. Masculinity is about power; a masculine man is a powerful man who
controls various resources. When the masculinity of a man is challenged, he loses
power unless he defends himself. Masculinity is challenged when a man is associated
with the feminine or perhaps when he is seen defending women or members of the
LGBT. While making sexist, homophobic, or racist statements are often part and
parcel of heterosexual masculinity, silence, and consent to these put-downs gender-
based violence and oppressive structures thriving in society.

This fear causes silence that is mistaken for consent-men consent to what is
being done to women and the LGBTs, those without power, and the like. Those who
do not speak up condone gay bashing, rape jokes, and sexist comments. Accepting
these comments keeps this harmful system running. Masculinity has this power over
men: the fear of becoming effeminate when they stand to defend the non-dominant
masculinity. This fear is a representation demonstrating that society thinks lowly of
women.

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 LESSON 4 IS THE PHILIPPINES A MASCULINE COUNTRY?

The six-dimension model of national culture by Geert Hofstede shows the “

six basic issues that a society needs to come to terms with to organize itself.” The
Philippines leans towards what he calls a masculine society, meaning that the
Philippines may be driven to realize masculine values. These values include
"competition, achievement, and success”. They put a premium on achievement
through winning or being the best in one's field. On the other hand, feminine values
involve caring for others, and about the quality of life in the community. While the
Philippines is community-oriented, its focus is currently on global competition and
personal achievement.

The Filipino masculinity is changing due to both migration and globalization.

Filipinos in general are becoming more Westernized. Since the advent of colonization
and the creation of modern Philippine society, men were made to be dominant,
tough, and oriented toward building camaraderie among themselves. Up to this day,
the male barkada is seen as a brotherhood, space for men to be men, free from their
wives and responsibilities as it is accepted that men often needed a break from their
work and home life. Some men who were seen as subjected under their wives'
control (under the saya) were free to express themselves among their barkada. The
so-called forms of typical Filipino masculinities seem to express gender’s need to
assert its dominance and capability. Filipino masculinities are driven by their status
as the main actors in the public realm-as drivers of development and wealth
creation.