Lecture Notes: Masculinity and Femininity in Societies

Key Concepts

• Masculine and Feminine vs. Male and Female
  • Masculine and feminine are Latinized words for man-like and woman-like.
  • A man can be called feminine and a woman can be called masculine.

Historical Context

• Margaret Mead's Contribution
  • Since the 1930s, studies have explored gender role divisions in different societies.
  • Margaret Mead, a young American anthropologist, played a significant role.

Defining Masculinity and Femininity

• Masculinity
  • Society where emotional gender roles are distinct.
  • Boys should be assertive, tough, and focused on material success.
  • Women should focus on the quality of life.
  • Work often prevails over family.
  • Fathers deal with facts, mothers with feelings.
  • Admiration for the strong.
  • Religion focuses on a powerful God.
  • Sex is a way of performing.
  • Masculinity Index (MAS) measures from 0 (most feminine) to 100 (most masculine).
• Femininity
  • Role separation is weaker or doesn't exist.
  • Men can be modest, tender, and focused on the quality of life.
  • Balance between family and work.
  • Both parents deal with facts and feelings.
  • Sympathy for the weak.
  • Religion focuses on fellow human beings.
  • Sex is a way for a couple to relate.

Examples of Societies

• High Masculinity
  • Japan, Italy, Mexico, China, Britain, Germany, USA.
• High Femininity
  • Arab countries, France, Russia, Thailand, Costa Rica, Denmark, Netherlands.

Correlations with Social Indicators

• Literacy and Poverty
  • More functional illiterates and people living below the poverty level in masculine societies.
• Aid to Poor Countries
  • Feminine societies spend a higher percentage of their budget on aid.
• Views on Poverty
  • Masculine: Poverty blamed on laziness.
  • Feminine: Poverty blamed on bad luck.
• Marketing
  • Masculine: Food shoppers are women.
  • Feminine: Both men and women shop for food.
• Employer-Employee Relationships
  • Masculine: Salary more important than leisure.
  • Feminine: Leisure as important as salary, longer vacations.
• Social Media Use
  • Masculine: Used for fact gathering.
  • Feminine: Used for rapport-building.

Stability Over Time

• Gender roles are passed down through generations.
• Historical roots explained through comparisons (e.g., 16th-century Britain and Holland).
• In the USA, femininity is a taboo.
• Masculinity and femininity are stable dimensions at the societal level.