masculinity and hegemony.

I think masculinity and hegemony are still definitely related. It's almost a hard concept to grasp, especially as a woman in contemporary society, but ruling positions are still dominated by men. And I think that some people still believe that masculinity and hegemony should be related. Men like power and power likes men. Yes, we are growing toward the acceptance of women in power but that doesn't mean that society isn't hesitant. When Hilary Clinton was running for president, I vaguely recall a comment along the lines of "We cannot have a woman running our country!". Not only did this bother me extensively, it still continues to do so. I don't think that masculinity and hegemony will be separated until woman at least dominate half of the workforce leadership positions.

Hegemony and Masculinity

For a long time, masculinity has been associated with hegemony. In the past, men were the ones who had the power. They were the ones making the choices, holding governmental positions, voting and actually being able to have a say. Women were expected to be subordinate and go along with what the men had decided for the both of them. As times progressed, the rights of the genders became more equal; however, it seems that the old ideas of subordination still exist, as if they have become engrained in our definitions of man and woman. It is not as prominent as it was even a few decades ago, but as a woman, I still feel its presence. It may not be as explicitly stated as it once was, but it is implied in many situations. A statement such as, “you throw like a girl” is not meant to attack a women, but it is meant to put down a man in a way that it makes him appear more woman-like, which has a negative connotation. It implies that it pulls the man down from this top location on the hierarchy, and brings him down to the level of a woman. It may be that we say this because men are generally better than woman at sports; however, even if this is true, why do we have to say it in this way? Why do we have to say a man is lesser by comparing him to a woman? Why can we not just say, “you can’t throw”? Maybe it is because as a society, we still view men as having the dominant position. If this is true, we allow the hegemony of masculinity to continue to exist.

Masculinity and Hegemony (and How Much That Exclusive Combination Pisses Me Off)

It makes me incredibly frustrated to think about masculinity and hegemony. There is unquestionably a connection between the two; leadership and dominance seems to be embedded in the prescribed social role of the male, just as emotionality and passivity seem to be embedded in that of the female. I'm not saying that all men are dominant or that all women are passive, but I do assert that these descriptions are expected and enforced by today's society. As Jeffrey noted in his post, men tend to keep the definition of masculinity in place by policing each other's actions. Women do the same for each other--and they do it for men by choosing males that exhibit the most supposedly masculine traits. Hence the stereotype of women pursuing men who are wealthy, powerful, and/or "bad boys." This perpetuates gender roles (including the link between power and masculinity). So how can gender roles be changed when people don't WANT them to change?! There are *some* people who are actively working for change, but they represent a drop in the bucket compared to the global population. As Professor Halberstam has mentioned, there is comfort in conformity, pleasure in the maintenance of gender roles. Lately I've become more sensitive to policing of traits based on gender, and it's ubiquitous. Men show distaste when women seem too muscular or powerful, and women express instant disgust when men show weakness or care about their appearance too much. Quite honestly, their disgust is disgusting to me, because it is such a perfect illustration of how human nature has perpetuated gender stereotypes and inequality for so long.

I wish we could all live in a bubble like the one Grace describes, where gender norms aren't policed and people can simply be themselves, without worrying about being mocked or about forcing themselves into the narrow boundaries of gender roles. That would be fantastic. Unfortunately, our world as a whole is nowhere near that kind of open-minded utopia. Gender roles (and the hegemony of masculinity) continue. And as much as I want them to change, I can't see how they will when they're constantly reinforced by society. It makes me sad. And angry. Damn herd mentality.

Masculinity and Hegemony

The stereotype on masculinity strongly enforces hegemonic behavior among men. If they have power over the people and things around them, then they are more important and therefore more masculine. Somewhere in time the idea was created that in order to be masculine you have to dominate everything in proximity; including women. Along with hegemony comes the idea that men will be "men" as long as they are above women. Therefore, in history there have been many instances where men have dragged women down in social order, political stature, or economic capability just to keep power among men. However, now that we've begun the 21st century we are past this hegemonic obsession. Boys are now learning that there is so much more to being a "man" than domination and control. It's about staying true to what you believe in.

Masculinity and Hegemony

Masculinity is certainly fueled by hegemony. Males have dominated many areas of society, such as the workplace, and the very definition of hegemony is domination by a specific social group. However, I do not believe that hegemony is exclusive to masculinity. I think that the desire for power and domination is an inherent characteristic in humans. The dominance simply changes from being the most skilled hunter and leader of your community to being the CEO of a powerful company. Men have achieved a version of hegemony in our society, but even this version is changing. Women too are now acting on their desire for power and protesting their inferiority. More and more women are claiming their spots in the workplace and rising to the top, beating out men. Hegemony, as I see it, is a desire for power and dominance. Men are not the only ones who thirst for that degree of power.

Gender Definitions

I have always thought that my definition of male and female was solely based on biological factors. I am realizing, with the help of Professor Halberstam and this class, that there are many, many social factors that I have managed to confuse with the biological factors when creating my definitions. Society has planted many ideas in our head that we now assume to be true. When attempting to analyze and define the two genders, I found that I could not separate fact from social influence. I am sure many people have the same issue. I did conclude that, to me, gender is composed of a spectrum. Some people are closer to extremes of their gender and others are a more balanced mix of the two. Besides the biological, a spectrum of genders allows for social influences to factor in as well.

Masculinity/ Hegemony

Masculinity and hegemony to me are very hard to distinguish a relationship. Masculinity is often taken as being the "alpha male" when taken out of context. Masculinity to me is the fact of being MASculine as in physically in shape, polite or a well rounded male. In that case I relate the two by if you are male and accept the role of society and aren't fighting for the simple dominance. You are a mature male to accept what society as a whole as agreed upon which relates to hegemony by agreeing to live in a society that has been built around a central dominance.