The Ambivalent Construction of Masculinities: Examining Speaker Perceptions in Denmark; The Interplay of Masculinities and Femininities
Translated title
Den Ambivalente Konstruktion af Maskuliniteter
Author
Clement, Peter Oluf
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2021
Submitted on
2021-06-02
Pages
58
Abstract
I de nordiske lande er forståelsen af, hvad det vil sige at være mand, under forandring. Connells teori om hegemonisk maskulinitet – den kulturelt dominerende model for mandighed, som placerer nogle måder at være mand på over andre – forklarer stadig meget, men nye former for maskulinitet og femininitet vinder frem. Dette speciale undersøger maskuliniteter og deres samspil med femininiteter for at belyse ændringer i kønshierarki og samhørighed i samfundet. Jeg analyserer, hvordan der tales om og opfattes danske mænd og kvinder, for at give indblik i det aktuelle nordiske samfund. Først ser specialet på kønsmæssig dominans og arbejdsmarkedets kønsopdeling. Blandt kvindelige politibetjente og elektrikere medfører en bevægelse mod såkaldte “paria-femininiteter” – stigmatiserede former for femininitet, der bryder med normerne – samt en nedtoning af forventet femininitet, forskellige former for modreaktion og sanktioner. Tilsvarende oplever mandlige sygeplejersker et pres for at fastholde et maskulint selvbillede: de adresserer løbende deres seksualitet på en hypermaskulin måde for at undgå at blive placeret som underordnet maskulinitet. Ud over arbejdsmarkedet belyser specialet den ambivalens, mænd møder i forsøget på at skabe en ny maskulinitet, der stemmer med ligestilling og svækker det maskuline hierarki. Disse forandringer skaber nye strategier i kønsrelationer. To mænd, Jacob og Simon, forhandler deres maskulinitet gennem fortællinger om samarbejde, lighed og følelsesfuldhed, som harmonerer med nordiske idealer. For at kunne indgå i relationer med femininiteter nedtoner de nogle træk ved hegemonisk maskulinitet og indoptager elementer af den nye maskulinitet.
In the Nordic countries, ideas about what it means to be a man are changing. Connell’s theory of hegemonic masculinity—the culturally dominant model of manhood that ranks some forms of masculinity above others—still explains a great deal, but new forms of masculinity and femininity are emerging. This thesis examines masculinities and how they interact with femininities to understand shifts in gender hierarchy and social harmony. I analyze how people talk about and perceive Danish men and women to shed light on contemporary Nordic society. The first part looks at gender dominance and segregation in the labor market. Among female police officers and electricians, moving toward so-called “pariah femininities”—stigmatized forms of femininity that break with norms—and downplaying expected femininity lead to various pushbacks and sanctions. Similarly, male nurses face pressure to maintain a masculine self-image: they repeatedly address their sexuality in a hyper-masculine way to avoid being placed in a subordinate masculinity. Beyond the labor market, the thesis highlights the ambivalence men face when trying to build a new masculinity that aligns with gender equality and weakens masculine hierarchy. These changes generate new strategies in gender relations. Two men, Jacob and Simon, negotiate their masculinity through narratives of cooperation, equality, and emotionality that fit Nordic ideals. To relate to femininities, they tone down some traits of hegemonic masculinity and adopt elements of the new masculinity.
[This summary has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]
Keywords
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