Hegemonic Masculinities - Padlet Presentation by

Hegemonic Masculinities - Padlet Presentation by https://padlet.com/lin06/sg2tc044jqq6xwc9 A presentation that examines the interpretation and application of hegemonic masculinities in feminist sociology and the contemporary world. The key message is that socially-constructed ideals about hegemonic masculinities create cultural expectations that men feel they need to measure up to in order to be successfully masculine. en-us 2023-03-09 11:23:51 UTC 2026-01-20 22:50:16 UTC hello@padlet.com Q3. In her extremely influential book Masculinities (1995), Raewyn Connell argued that ‘The number of men rigorously practicing the hegemonic pattern in its entirety may be quite small. Yet the majority of men gain from its hegemony, since they benefit from the patriarchal dividend, the advantage men in general gain from the overall subordination of women’ (1995: 79). Can you think of an example of what Connell may mean by this ‘patriarchal dividend’? Do you agree that such a thing exists? lin06 https://padlet.com/lin06/sg2tc044jqq6xwc9/wish/2510143293 ^{As guidance, please refer to the 'key terms' section for a brief definition of patriarchal dividend.}Connell is describing the advantages or benefits that men would receive as a group from maintaining an unequal gender order (patriarchal privileges). Financial income is not the only kind of benefit. Other benefits include authority, respect, service, safety, housing, access to institutional power, emotional support and control over one's own life.

I argue that the patriarchal dividend still exists in our contemporary society, but patriarchal dividend is reduced as overall gender equality grows (Connell 2009: 142).

An example of this patriarchal dividend is grooming in our contemporary society. There is a 'grooming gap', which refers to the set of social norms regarding grooming and appearance between men and women. Grooming has been relatively cheap and easy for men. On the contrary, grooming costs for women can be extremely expensive. It’s true that men need to abide by certain grooming rules, too, but they are less complex, less expensive and less time consuming. ]]> 2023-03-09 11:35:18 UTC https://padlet.com/lin06/sg2tc044jqq6xwc9/wish/2510143293 Q4. Can you see any limitations to Connell’s theory of hegemonic masculinity? lin06 https://padlet.com/lin06/sg2tc044jqq6xwc9/wish/2510151062 ^{As guidance, please refer to the 'key terms' section for a brief definition of hegemonic masculinity.}
A limitation on Connell's theory of hegemonic masculinity is that very few men achieve the sociocultural construction of hegemonic masculinity in the real world. The best approach is to view hegemonic masculinity as an aspirational goal. As stated in the week 4 lecture 1(a), men can be at significant risk in pursuit of the sociological ideals of hegemonic masculinity. These risks include higher instances of accidental death, substance abuse, sexual behaviour, motor vehicle injury and extreme sports and injury.

Another limitation is that the concept of masculinity itself is not static, homogenous or coherent. Sociocultural constructions change overtime and masculinity is very much subjected to various social, cultural and economic factors in our society.

A third limitation is that there are different constructions of masculinity and personhood between diverse cultures in many countries. For example, Chinese masculinity is based on the wen-wu model, in which the wen and wu are in harmony, complimenting one another. Conversely, Western masculinity is based on a dominant/subordinate arrangement and hierarchical because one set of qualities undermines the other. Therefore, a scholar is considered to be no less masculine than a soldier in the Chinese context. Whereas in the West, a soldier is considered to be more superior than scholars. ]]> 2023-03-09 11:42:23 UTC https://padlet.com/lin06/sg2tc044jqq6xwc9/wish/2510151062 lin06 https://padlet.com/lin06/sg2tc044jqq6xwc9/wish/2510175127
Patriarchal dividend
A set of unearned privileges conferred onto all men by virtue of being male. Men gain a material (economic) dividend, as well as social and cultural capital that the patriarchal dividend affords them.

Hegemonic masculinity
Hegemonic masculinity is a sociocultural construction that is premised on 'the privileging of heteronormativity, the subordination of alternative masculinities and the maintenance of patriarchal structures which inform the gender order' (Connell 1987, Gender and Power).

Key characteristics of hegemonic masculinity include being heterosexual, white, competitive, homosocial (male-related activities), independent and hierarchical.

Toxic masculinity
A set of masculine behaviours that affect (harmfully and negatively) society and themselves. An example of toxic masculinity is the belief that crying or having feelings is specialised for females only.

Subordinate masculinities
Masculinities can be broken down into layers of relative power, without forfeiting the dominance of becoming subordinate or marginalised. The muscular working-class manhood is commonly employed as a highly significant mobilising cultural ideal (Beasley 2008:90).

Men's rights activism
Men's rights activism (since 1990s) rejects the concept that men are privileged relative to women and is based on the philosophy that feminism has gone too far. The movement supports the claim that women now have all the power and the men are now the new victims. The growth of men’s movements from the 1990s is one response to men’s shifting roles and identities.

]]> 2023-03-09 12:04:36 UTC https://padlet.com/lin06/sg2tc044jqq6xwc9/wish/2510175127 🎥 Tiffany Jana's TED talk on 'The Power of Privilege' gcolloff https://padlet.com/lin06/sg2tc044jqq6xwc9/wish/2515445078 Tiffany Jana is the founder of TMI, the first Diversity and Inclusion Certified Benefit Company. Jana (2014) recounts her personal experiences with social privilege, specifically how it harms her. Criticizing how a system might promote the idea that "some human beings have more value than others" and remarking that they had to work "twice as hard" to be recognized as "equally capable," surviving "stereotypes and assumptions" created by others.

Discussion points:
1. Tiffany describes how certain people are perceived as "natural leaders" due to their gender. "Do you agree? If so, explain why or why not.
2. She closes her TedX talk by calling our current belief system a "mess." Do you agree? If so, explain why or why not.

Sources
•https://youtu.be/N0acvkHIiZs]]> 2023-03-14 03:54:22 UTC https://padlet.com/lin06/sg2tc044jqq6xwc9/wish/2515445078 Sources for Q2 gcolloff https://padlet.com/lin06/sg2tc044jqq6xwc9/wish/2515454868 •Humanrights.gov.au. (2014). Empathy, Power and Privilege | Australian Human Rights Commission. [online] Available at: https://humanrights.gov.au/about/news/speeches/empathy-power-and-privilege-0 [Accessed 16 Mar. 2023].

•Racism. No Way! (2020). What is white privilege? An overview | Racism No Way. [online] Available at: https://racismnoway.com.au/about-racism/understanding-racism/white-privilege/ [Accessed 16 Mar. 2023].

•Simone de Beauvoir. (1949). Le Deuxième Sexe (Still the Second Sex). Paris: Librairie Gallimard. p.295.

]]> 2023-03-14 04:03:28 UTC https://padlet.com/lin06/sg2tc044jqq6xwc9/wish/2515454868 Sources for Q1 gcolloff https://padlet.com/lin06/sg2tc044jqq6xwc9/wish/2515455786 •Connell, R. W. (2005) Masculinities. 2nd ed. Cambridge: Polity Press. Ch. 3 ‘The social organisation of masculinity’ pp. 67-86.

•Connell, R (2016) 'Masculinities in global perspective: hegemony, contestation and changing structures of power' Theory and Society 45: 303-318.

]]> 2023-03-14 04:04:39 UTC https://padlet.com/lin06/sg2tc044jqq6xwc9/wish/2515455786 Q1. Why are studies of masculinity integral to the study of gender? hassanrikaby https://padlet.com/lin06/sg2tc044jqq6xwc9/wish/2515506015 Masculinity, as a concept, is entirely relational in the sense that it does not exist without the contrasting concept of femininity. These polarised binaries are seen as having qualitatively different characteristics which define and distinguish between the two. This inevitably results in the need to dissect the ‘common-sense’ typologies of gender that are socially attributed through the terms, masculine, and feminine (R.W Connell). In particular, the examination of these contemporary gender roles is critical with regards to hegemonic masculinity and the patriarchal dividend as a result. As Raewyn Connell argues, the changing structures of hegemony in response to socio-historical factors makes intellectual struggle, and thus the study of masculinity integral to the study of gender.]]> 2023-03-14 05:00:11 UTC https://padlet.com/lin06/sg2tc044jqq6xwc9/wish/2515506015 lin06 https://padlet.com/lin06/sg2tc044jqq6xwc9/wish/2515514439 A. Textbooks
^{•Connell, R. W. (2005)}^{Masculinities}^{. 2nd ed. Cambridge: Polity Press. Ch. 3 ‘The social organisation of masculinity’ pp. 67-86.

•Connell, R (2016) '}^{Masculinities in global perspective: hegemony, contestation and changing structures of power}^'^{Theory and Society 45: 303-318.

•Simone de Beauvoir. (1949).}^{Le Deuxième Sexe (Still the Second Sex)}^{. Paris: Librairie Gallimard. p.295.}
B. Journal articles
^{•Marshall, K., Chamberlain, K., & Hodgetts, D. (2020). 'Male bodybuilders on Instagram: Negotiating inclusive masculinities through hegemonic masculine bodies',}^{Journal of Gender Studies}^,²⁹^{(5), pp 570-589.

•Hande Eslen-Ziya & Margunn Bjørnholt (2022), 'Men's Rights Activism and Anti-Feminist Resistance in Turkey and Norway',}^{Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State & Society}^,³⁰⁽¹⁾^{, pp 213–238.}
^{•Wedgwood, N (2009), ‘Connell’s theory of masculinity – its origins and influences on the study of gender’,}^{Journal of Gender Studies}^{, vol. 18, no. 4, pp. 329–339.

•Holter, Ø. G. (1996), 'Book Reviews : R. W. Connell: Masculinities. Cambridge: Polity Press', 1995.}^{Acta Sociologica}^,³⁹^{(3), pg 337–341.

•Louie, K. (2000), 'Constructing Chinese Masculinity for the Modern World: With Particular Reference to Lao She’s The Two Mas',}^{The China Quarterly}^,¹⁶⁴^{, 1062–1078.}
C. Websites
^{•Humanrights.gov.au. (2014).}^{Empathy, Power and Privilege | Australian Human Rights Commission}^{. [online] Available at: https://humanrights.gov.au/about/news/speeches/empathy-power-and-privilege-0 [Accessed 16 Mar. 2023].

•Racism. No Way! (2020).}^{What is white privilege? An overview | Racism No Way}^{. [online] Available at: https://racismnoway.com.au/about-racism/understanding-racism/white-privilege/ [Accessed 16 Mar. 2023].}

D. Video links
^{•https://youtu.be/N0acvkHIiZs
•https://youtu.be/PRykslT0QPE
•https://youtu.be/HV48nkMlptU}

]]> 2023-03-14 05:07:30 UTC https://padlet.com/lin06/sg2tc044jqq6xwc9/wish/2515514439 Q2. What is social privilege, and in what ways does it manifest in everyday life? gcolloff https://padlet.com/lin06/sg2tc044jqq6xwc9/wish/2516888276 Social privilege is an advantage that is solely granted as a birthright (Racism. No Way!, 2020). As Week 2 Lecture 1B stated, "we do not choose whether we hold social privilege or disadvantage."

Advantages include: religion, biological sex, gender identity, race, ability, class, and education. (Human Rights.gov, 2014)

Social privilege manifests in:
- Nuclear family dynamics - the traditional “breadwinner” and “homemaker” roles.
- Business and politics - the “glass ceiling” (metaphor), the unacknowledged barrier to advancement in a profession.
- Sport - inequalities between genders and races with salary caps and public interest.

De Beauvoir's writings explore how women are assigned femininity at birth. She examines how women are forced to conform and be socialized in a way that strengthens the patriarchy and justifies masculine privilege. From this, it is clear that social privilege manifests at birth; she states: "One is not born, but rather becomes a woman. No biological, psychological, or economic fate determines the figure that the human female presents in society; it is civilization as a whole that produces this creature."

^{As guidance, please refer to 'additional videos' for Tiffany Jana's explanation of social privilege through a recount of her own experiences.}

]]> 2023-03-15 00:28:24 UTC https://padlet.com/lin06/sg2tc044jqq6xwc9/wish/2516888276 🎥 Garrett Borgman's TED talk on redefining masculinity: addressing hegemonic masculine behaviours lin06 https://padlet.com/lin06/sg2tc044jqq6xwc9/wish/2516912882 Borgman explains that the understanding of what it takes to be a man is outdated in society and the terms that were used to describe masculinity were too restrictive.

Sources
•https://youtu.be/PRykslT0QPE]]> 2023-03-15 00:47:55 UTC https://padlet.com/lin06/sg2tc044jqq6xwc9/wish/2516912882 🎥 Reece MacKinney's TED talk on toxic masculinities lin06 https://padlet.com/lin06/sg2tc044jqq6xwc9/wish/2516933586 MacKinney addresses that there are clichéd examples of toxic masculinity that show up in the media (anti-LGBTQ+, rape culture, and extreme emotional maturity). MacKinney argues that the solution is to address and reflect on the subtle behaviours that are encouraged in schools, sports, families, politics, and friendships.

Sources
•https://youtu.be/HV48nkMlptU]]> 2023-03-15 01:05:44 UTC https://padlet.com/lin06/sg2tc044jqq6xwc9/wish/2516933586 Shifting gender relations in the West lin06 https://padlet.com/lin06/sg2tc044jqq6xwc9/wish/2520150506 There has been a shift in ideas regarding gender social roles in the West.

Changes to women's lives:

identity: from destiny to gender;
work: work expected (and required);
family: ‘double shift’; and
intimacy: sexually agents subjects (re-sexualised).

Changes to men's lives:

female work colleagues and bosses;
culture of fatherhood;
masculinity (more) visible - white, middle-class, heterosexual men are now ‘marked’ and called into account for their privilege more often; and
gay and non-white masculinities more visible.

]]> 2023-03-17 00:44:12 UTC https://padlet.com/lin06/sg2tc044jqq6xwc9/wish/2520150506 Drivers for change lin06 https://padlet.com/lin06/sg2tc044jqq6xwc9/wish/2520156982

'New Left' political movements (civil rights, feminists, gay liberation);

Shifts to a ‘post-industrial’ society;

Men's rights movement (since 1990s); and

The 'alt-right' and 'cultural liberalism'.

]]> 2023-03-17 00:50:12 UTC https://padlet.com/lin06/sg2tc044jqq6xwc9/wish/2520156982 The Wen-Wu Model 🇨🇳 lin06 https://padlet.com/lin06/sg2tc044jqq6xwc9/wish/2520598008 Chinese masculinity is structured by two archetypes: the scholar (wén 文) and the warrior (wǔ 武).

Wén: generally refers to 'gentle, refined qualities that were associated with literary and artistic pursuits of the classical scholars’ (Louie 2003: 14).

Wǔ: 'a concept which embodies the power of military strength, but also the wisdom to know when and when not to deploy it’ (Louie 2003: 14).

For example, a scholar is considered to be no less masculine than a soldier in the Chinese context, whereas a soldier is considered to be more superior than scholars in the West.

]]> 2023-03-17 08:42:40 UTC https://padlet.com/lin06/sg2tc044jqq6xwc9/wish/2520598008 Bruce Lee's films lin06 https://padlet.com/lin06/sg2tc044jqq6xwc9/wish/2520900561 Bruce Lee’s films articulate a 'tough' masculinity that can be read against a history of feminising representations of Chinese men.

Chinese men are frequently feminised through hegemonic masculinity.

Film is used as a medium to promote culturally valued forms of masculinity. ]]> 2023-03-17 13:24:14 UTC https://padlet.com/lin06/sg2tc044jqq6xwc9/wish/2520900561 Sources lin06 https://padlet.com/lin06/sg2tc044jqq6xwc9/wish/2520931227 •Connell, R (2016) 'Masculinities in global perspective: hegemony, contestation and changing structures of power' Theory and Society 45: pp 303-318. ]]> 2023-03-17 13:48:15 UTC https://padlet.com/lin06/sg2tc044jqq6xwc9/wish/2520931227 Sources lin06 https://padlet.com/lin06/sg2tc044jqq6xwc9/wish/2520931433 •Marshall, K., Chamberlain, K., & Hodgetts, D. (2020). 'Male bodybuilders on Instagram: Negotiating inclusive masculinities through hegemonic masculine bodies', Journal of Gender Studies, 29(5), pp 570-589.

•Connell, R. W. (2005) Masculinities. 2nd ed. Cambridge: Polity Press. Ch. 3 ‘The social organisation of masculinity’ pp. 67-86.

•Hande Eslen-Ziya & Margunn Bjørnholt (2022), 'Men's Rights Activism and Anti-Feminist Resistance in Turkey and Norway', Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State & Society, 30(1), pp 213–238. ]]> 2023-03-17 13:48:25 UTC https://padlet.com/lin06/sg2tc044jqq6xwc9/wish/2520931433 Sources for Q3 lin06 https://padlet.com/lin06/sg2tc044jqq6xwc9/wish/2520931683 •Wedgwood, N (2009), ‘Connell’s theory of masculinity – its origins and influences on the study of gender’, Journal of Gender Studies, vol. 18, no. 4, pp. 329–339.

•Holter, Ø. G. (1996), 'Book Reviews : R. W. Connell: Masculinities. Cambridge: Polity Press', 1995. Acta Sociologica, 39(3), pg 337–341.

•Connell, R. W. (2005) Masculinities. 2nd ed. Cambridge: Polity Press. Ch. 3 ‘The social organisation of masculinity’ pp. 67-86.]]> 2023-03-17 13:48:36 UTC https://padlet.com/lin06/sg2tc044jqq6xwc9/wish/2520931683 Sources for Q4 lin06 https://padlet.com/lin06/sg2tc044jqq6xwc9/wish/2520931903 •Wedgwood, N (2009), ‘Connell’s theory of masculinity – its origins and influences on the study of gender’, Journal of Gender Studies, vol. 18, no. 4, pp. 329–339.

•Holter, Ø. G (1996), 'Book Reviews : R. W. Connell: Masculinities. Cambridge: Polity Press', 1995. Acta Sociologica, 39(3), pg 337–341.

•Connell, R. W. (2005) Masculinities. 2nd ed. Cambridge: Polity Press. Ch. 3 ‘The social organisation of masculinity’ pp. 67-86.]]> 2023-03-17 13:48:45 UTC https://padlet.com/lin06/sg2tc044jqq6xwc9/wish/2520931903 Sources lin06 https://padlet.com/lin06/sg2tc044jqq6xwc9/wish/2520932114 •Louie, K. (2000), 'Constructing Chinese Masculinity for the Modern World: With Particular Reference to Lao She’s The Two Mas', The China Quarterly, 164, 1062–1078. ]]> 2023-03-17 13:48:56 UTC https://padlet.com/lin06/sg2tc044jqq6xwc9/wish/2520932114