Men's Understanding of Toxic Masculinity
Grade Level at Time of Presentation
Junior
Major
Sociology
Minor
Social Work
Institution
Morehead State University
KY House District #
99
KY Senate District #
27
Faculty Advisor/ Mentor
Dr. Bernadette Barton
Department
Department of Sociology, Social Work, and Criminology
Abstract
Men’s Understanding of Toxic Masculinity
Cat Haggard
Bernadette Barton
Sociology, Social Work, and Criminology
Hegemonic masculinity, more colloquially referred to as toxic masculinity, is a set of practices that promote the dominant social position of men, and the subordinate social position of women. Toxic masculinity socializes men to see masculinity itself in hierarchical terms, ranking men according to how well they embody and present as the alpha male: the toughest, strongest, and least emotional. Researchers find that toxic masculinity is responsible for a number of negative social consequences including dangerous risk-taking, acts of violence, and the numbing of empathy. Drawing on interviews with 10 male millennials, this research explores how aware men are of the concept and constraints of toxic masculinity while in college. We theorize time spent getting an undergraduate degree as a key turning point in men’s self-conception. Many men get to college and are enlightened by the openness and diversity among campus. This poster illustrates that young men have varying degrees of understanding of toxic masculinity, particularly as regards their own behavior. We find that subjects have an easier time seeing the negative consequences of toxic masculinity in others than themselves.
Men's Understanding of Toxic Masculinity
Men’s Understanding of Toxic Masculinity
Cat Haggard
Bernadette Barton
Sociology, Social Work, and Criminology
Hegemonic masculinity, more colloquially referred to as toxic masculinity, is a set of practices that promote the dominant social position of men, and the subordinate social position of women. Toxic masculinity socializes men to see masculinity itself in hierarchical terms, ranking men according to how well they embody and present as the alpha male: the toughest, strongest, and least emotional. Researchers find that toxic masculinity is responsible for a number of negative social consequences including dangerous risk-taking, acts of violence, and the numbing of empathy. Drawing on interviews with 10 male millennials, this research explores how aware men are of the concept and constraints of toxic masculinity while in college. We theorize time spent getting an undergraduate degree as a key turning point in men’s self-conception. Many men get to college and are enlightened by the openness and diversity among campus. This poster illustrates that young men have varying degrees of understanding of toxic masculinity, particularly as regards their own behavior. We find that subjects have an easier time seeing the negative consequences of toxic masculinity in others than themselves.