Masculinity

Defining Masculinity:
Traditionally masculine traits are found in both genders .In a Masculine
system hierarchies are based on competence and productivity, here
communication is direct and used to solve problems and differences or
negotiate a position or point of view. Strong individuals are given
respect and expected to take the lead .As the name suggests
masculinity is a culture centered around masculine traits including but
not limited to ; focus on competition and productivity ,communication
is direct and explicit ,and success is linked with material achievement
Building on that, According to the hofstede insight a high score
indicates masculinity whilst a low score illustrates feminine cultural
traits which tend to focus on collective decision making, cooperation
and empathy for others
Building the argument through the above bar graph given, one can
easily deduce landslide high and low tier difference between both
similar high income nations of Japan and Norway yet totally different
too as indicated by the masculinity index.
At 95, Japan is one of the most Masculine societies in the world.
However, in combination with their mild collectivism, you do not see
assertive and competitive individual behaviors which we often
associate with Masculine culture. What you see is a severe competition
between groups. From very young age at kindergartens, children learn
to compete on sports day for their groups (traditionally red team
against white team).
In corporate Japan, you see that employees are most motivated when
they are fighting in a winning team against their competitors. What you
also see as an expression of Masculinity in Japan is the drive for
excellence and perfection in their material production (monodukuri)
and in material services (hotels and restaurants) and presentation (gift
wrapping and food presentation) in every aspect of life. Notorious
Japanese workaholism is another expression of their Masculinity. It is
still hard for women to climb up the corporate ladders in Japan with
their Masculine norm of hard and long working hours.

Coming onto Saudi Arabia the index is in mild-ish range, largely owed to
the fact that the oil rich kingdom on the Arabian Peninsula is sitting on
a mountain ton of oil resources,2nd largest in the world to be precise .A
key observation that can be traced here is that even though Norway
and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are both oil exporting
nations ,probably the only similarity they share, However unlike Saudi
Arabia whose economy is driven by the oil exportation, Oil exports are
one of the driving bones of economy in Norway but not the only factor
of their economy ,which can be linked to the relation why the Kingdom
ranks much higher as defined by masculinity on competitive terms