SOC 475 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Hegemonic Masculinity, South African Class 19 4-8-2, Masculinity
Document Summary
Men were not a focus of theorizing outside of feminism. Men are seen as rulers of most societies. Feminist claim we understand human behaviour from a masculine perspective. The study of how individuals become men, how men become rulers and how norms of masculinity are created & enforced was absent in modern social thinking. Up until the 1960"s there was no sociology of masculinity. This changed with the rise of feminism, which provided an account for the making of men. What did feminist say about men: men are not born but are socially created. Individuals may be born male but they learn and are pressured into a masculine self-identity. Males learn what behaviour and social roles are appropriate for men. Men become rulers because social roles involving power are associated with masculinity: feminists believe the notion of gender shapes our personal lives and social roles/organizations. Certain jobs are associated with masculinity versus femininity.