(Exploring the Perceptions and Experiences of Masculinity among Emerging Adult Men)
There have been many studies about feminism and women and their struggles over time however not much has been done in relation to men and masculinity. Although there have been studies on various ways that men portray masculinity and act on their manhood, the number of studies done is significantly less.
Although it is normally assumed that being a man is easier in this world than it is to be woman, this is not actually true. Both women and men have their own set of struggles and it is not correct to compare the two. Although there are some cases wherein people may consider that comparison is possible and may assume that men have it much easier than women do in this patriarchist world, this is not true. The patriarchy that exists in our society does not spare men either. Men too are victims of patriarchy and face multiple struggles in their daily lives as they struggle to conform with the hegemonic masculine norms .
There are multiple expectations that society posits on men and women and it becomes their duty to fulfil these expectations, failing which they are often made to feel like a member of an outgroup. There are also certain stereotypes that are upheld by the traditional thoughts and value systems that exist in society which continue to persists even in todays time. We all know about the various issues that women undergo in their social and personal spaces because of the various expectations and stereotypes that come with their gender however not much is known in relation to men and their struggles with their gender. Men too have a hard time and face multiple issues in their social and personal spaces because off their gender and the stereotypes and expectations that come along with it. from physical health to mental health and everything in between there are multiple ways that men are expected to assert their masculinity and often this can seem extremely demanding. Men are expected to be physically stringer than their women counterparts and are expected to bear physical pain , they are also expected to have better emotional control and are considered to be more practical and rational beings who do not cry and talk about their emotions. However every individual is different and it is human need to express emotions. there are multiple men who may not be as physically strong as is expected out of them because of their gender which may lead to them feeling like an outgroup member in society and may negatively add to their mental health. Mental health too is not something that is easy for men to talk about.
although mental health is not easy for anyone to talk about , men find it slightly harder because of the various traditional masculine roles that they feel the need to comply with in order to feel like a man.
Men find it extremely hard to talk about their emotional needs and feelings and also have a hard time shedding tears and showing emotions in front of a group of people. men also have a hard time talking about violence of any sort that may have been undergone by them through the hands of a female as it goes against the hegemonic masculinity wherein men are considered to have dominant roles in comparison to women.
We are currently in the 21st century, a lot has changed over the years. although changes in the social world has been happening for a long time , it is safe to say that with the onset of covid 19 and there being multiple lockdowns all over the globe , there has been a huge shift in the social and personal spaces of individuals all round the world. There are more people nowadays who are coming out about not only their sexuality and gender but also about their mental health. In a community like ours where mental health is a taboo, it becomes even harder for men to come out and talk about the various issues that they may be facing as they fear it will infringe upon their identity as a man. What does being a man mean ? I don’t think there is a proper answer to that and there should not be either. Being a man is not easy either. there are multiple ways that being a man can affect the lives of individuals negatively. Although earlier like most things, traditional masculine roles and stereotypes were mostly accepted , in todays time things are different. Generation Z is very different from the generations before it and most often than not the differences are for the better. For example if you talk to from other generations they are more likely answer the question (what being a man means to them ) in a way that is dripping with toxic masculinity and traditional hegemonic masculine stereotypes however that is not the case with generation z . The youth of today does not stay silent on matters that affect them. the youth of today are the adults of tomorrow and they unlike those before them do not blindly accept the various hegemonic masculine norms, expectations and stereotypes that have been existing for decades. They learn from their experiences and accept that every individual is different and realise that there is no one correct way to explain who a man is and how a man should be.
Summary :
There are multiple ways in which men perceive and experience masculinity. The way men experiences and upheld certain masculine traditions, stereotypes and expectations earlier is not similar to the way men deal with these today. the emerging adult men do not blindly accept the traditional masculine ways and constantly challenge the various masculine traditions, norms, stereotypes and expectations. Different men enact masculinity differently and the generation of today understand the fact that there is no one particular way in which masculinity should be defined and understood and that individuals are all different. The youth of today do not find it as hard as those before them to accept that there is no perfect answer to what being a man means as being a man can mean different things to different people and it is okay for your definition of what being man means to be different from someone else’s and that this will not change your status as a man.
