Hegemony & Masculinity

The fact that we are analyzing hegemony and masculinity together indicates something about our society.  I believe that hegemony and masculinity can be looked at hand in hand but also separately.

The two can be examined together because often times masculinity is associated with the individual or group in power who tower over their weaker competitors.  I believe this is the explanation behind why society anticipates that in a relationship the male is dominate over the woman while the woman is his subordinate in relation to working and highly-important decision making.  However, society says that it is the woman who is in charge of managing the household and the children, which I think makes her the hegemonic power in regard to the household and the children.  Although men do not label their wives as the hegemonic power who control the house and children, and similarly does not label himself as her subordinate, he is in fact her subordinate in this case.

An example of when society ties hegemony and masculinity directly together is in the court of law.  When a man and a woman divorce, it is the man who is legally bound to pay the woman child support (if they had children together) until the child/children turn 18.  If he doesn't pay his child support, he's labeled as a "dead beat dad."  Society has also made it seem as thought it is the man's duty to provide his former spouse with alimony, when in reality both spouse's have a legal obligation to support one another - or at least this is my understanding.

I also believe that hegemony can be implemented into situations where neither a man nor a woman is subordinate to the other.  Instead, an authority figure, independent of gender, is the hegemonic power.  For example, teachers have power over their students' grades.  When I think about my professors having control over my grades, I don't distinguish between my male and female professors.  Instead, I think about them as professors - the people who control my grades, not the women who control my grades or the men who control my grades.

Another example is the group of women who are commonly referred to as "sugar mommas."  These are the women who have made the money in the relationship who support their male partners.  Some examples from pop culture would include Britney Spears & Kevin Federline and Jennifer Lopez and her new boyfriend Casper Smart.  These women serve as the breadwinners in their relationship and are dominant, at least financially, over their male partner.