Masculinity
From Freepedia
Masculinity, is seen to be a virtue in a man, a characteristic or trait which is part of a successful male's persona
The word masculine can refer to:
- the property of being biologically male
- a traditionally male gender role
- the masculine grammatical gender
The antonym of masculinity is feminity or effeminacy.
Sociology
Sociologist Janet Saltzman Chafetz (1974, 35-36) describes seven areas of traditional masculinity:
- Physical--virile, athletic, strong, brave. Sloppy, worry less about appearance and aging;
- Functional--breadwinner, provider;
- Sexual--sexually aggressive, experienced. Single status acceptable; male "caught" by spouse;
- Emotional--unemotional, stoic, don't cry;
- Intellectual--logical, intellectual, rational, objective, scientific, practical, mechanical, public awareness, activity, contributes to society; dogmatic;
- Interpersonal--leader, dominating; disciplinarian; independent, free, individualistic; demanding; and
- Other Personal Characteristics--aggressive, success-orientated, ambitious; proud, egotistical, ambitious; moral, trustworthy; decisive, competitive, uninhibited, adventurous.
- (Levine, 1998, p.13)
In women
The converse of effeminacy in women is masculinity. In young girls this is also called "tom boy". An informal term for masculine women is "butch", which is associated with lesbianism. "Butch" is also used within the lesbian community, often without a negative connotation, but sometimes with a more specific meaning (Davis and Lapovsky Kennedy, 1989). Note that the adoption of attitudes normally associated with the opposite sex is perceived as a sign of homosexuality.
