Stubborn and Persistent Masculine Beliefs: Insights from a Research Study

A good deal of recent attention has been devoted to understanding college men’s beliefs and perceptions about masculinity, masculine identity, and other aspects of their core sense of self. Despite competing, often contradictory, lists of definitions, we generally agree that masculinity is a socially (versus biologically) constructed notion (Chesebro & Fuse, 2001). Socially constructed as it may be, scholars have debated whether there is an empirical link between physical characteristics, “masculine” behaviors, and masculine identity (e.g., Doyle & Paludi, 1985). Indeed, some argue that it is possible to divorce behaviors from identity, while others maintain their inextricable link (Dilley, 2005). Yet, the weight of evidence, to date, suggests that “every culture (or group) has implicit standards about the appropriate roles that men must enact to be judged masculine” (Franklin, 1984 #130). With this understanding in mind, I set out to conduct a survey study of Black men’s masculine beliefs using an instrument that I developed from existing scales (e.g., Gender Role Conflict Scale, Perceived Masculinity Scale).

Since I was interested in measuring students’ approval of the norms typically associated with heteronormative, traditional male roles and the extent to which they hold such beliefs, all items were placed on a 5-point Likert type scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Just a few results are presented here for the purpose of encouraging discussion. Consider the following statistics from the study’s sample of Black men:

Survey Item Mean
Having sex with women defines manhood. 4.67
Men desire success, power, and competition. 4.17
Man should project confidence even is he’s not. 4.08

I must admit that I was struck by the sample’s scores on these items as they reflect fairly strong belief in and endorsement of heteronormative, traditional masculine beliefs. In many ways, they represent the very beliefs that many of us have been working to reduce, if not eliminate, in college men. They represent the “Big Wheel,” hyper-macho, misogynistic ideologies that, according to research, give rise to the litany of misbehaviors (e.g., violence, risky sex, drug/alcohol abuse) in which significant proportions of college men engage. So, why do these stubborn masculine beliefs persist among today’s population of college men? And why might Black male collegians strongly subscribe to such norms and beliefs? And what can we do, as educators, to effectively reduce, eliminate, or replace such beliefs with alternate conceptions that represent legitimate avenues to healthy masculine expression? I invite your thoughts and comments.

Note. Findings from this study, “African American Male Undergraduates’ Perceptions of Masculinity and Gender Roles,” were recently presented (with Taris Mullins) at the 2011 Conference on College Men in Indianapolis, IN.

References

Chesebro, J. W., & Fuse, K. (2001). The development of a perceived masculinity scale. Communication Quarterly, 49(3), 203-278.
Dilley, P. (2005). Which way out? A typology of non-heterosexual male collegiate identities. Journal of Higher Education, 76, 56-88.
Doyle, J. A., & Paludi, M. A. (1985). Sex and gender: The human experience. Dubuque, IA: Wm. C. Brown Publishers.
Franklin, C. W., II. (1984). The changing definition of masculinity. New York: Plenum Press.

Submitted by Dr. Terrell Strayhorn, Faculty In-Residence for the Men & Masculinities Knowledge Community. He can be reached at strayhorn.3@osu.edu