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.