Research has shown that vulnerable masculinity begins in puberty, when boys feel pressure to be “manly.”
The term refers to the anxiety men experience when they feel they do not meet cultural expectations of their gender.
It can motivate men to appear more confident, take risks and be more aggressive, while at the same time suppressing their emotions, compassion and empathy.
Experts have discovered that this behavior begins as early as puberty, when boys respond aggressively when they feel their masculinity is being threatened.
Fragile masculinity begins in adolescence, when boys feel pressure to be “manly,” a study has found. The researcher’s experiment involved more than 200 adolescent boys in the U.S. and one of their parents
The researcher’s experiment involved more than 200 adolescent boys in the US and one of their parents.
Boys first reported the extent to which their motivation to be masculine was internally driven or stemmed from a desire to gain the approval of others.
They then played a game in which they were told that their answers were either typical for their gender (e.g., similar to those of other boys) or atypical and more similar to the answers of girls.
This was followed by a cognitive task to measure aggression.
Parents also answered questions to measure puberty, such as whether they noticed a change in their child’s voice or whether facial hair had started to grow.
Analysis showed that boys in mid to late puberty responded aggressively when they felt their gender was being threatened.
Aggression was found to be more common in boys who were motivated to be a “man” because they were under pressure from others.
Lead author Andrei Cimpian of New York University said: ‘Men’s aggression poses challenges to societies around the world, ranging from public safety to intimate personal relationships.
‘By identifying when and why certain boys begin to respond aggressively to threats to their masculinity, this research is a first step in preventing the development of ‘vulnerable’ forms of masculinity — forms of masculinity that require constant proof and reaffirmation — and their many negative consequences in adult men.’
The findings, published in the journal Developmental Science, also showed that boys who most often felt pressure to be “masculine” were those whose parents held stereotypical ideas about the status and power of men.
Lead author Adam Stanaland said: ‘Threats to masculinity are associated not only with aggression, but also with a wide range of negative, antisocial behaviours, such as sexism, homophobia, political intolerance and even environmentalism.
‘Our findings call for actively challenging the restrictive norms and social pressures boys face to be stereotypically masculine, especially during adolescence and from their parents and peers.’
The boys who participated in the study were between the ages of 10 and 14.