Unpacking the Man Box makes five vital contributions to our knowledge of men’s conformity to masculine norms and the impacts of this conformity.
The first two contributions help us to map men’s patterns of conformity and non-conformity to traditional masculine norms.
- A significant minority of young men agree with traditional masculine norms, including troubling patriarchal norms. Larger proportions – majorities, in some cases – agree that these masculine norms are enforced in society.
- There is variation in young men’s support for traditional masculine norms, depending in part on demographic and social factors.
However, it is the third, fourth, and fifth contributions that are most significant. The first of these adds to a very large body of scholarship on the links between conformity to masculinity and various outcomes among men, and the next two push the boundaries of this scholarship.
- Men’s endorsement of masculine norms has a unique and powerful influence on a large number of harmful attitudes and behaviours, over and above other possible influences.
- Some elements of traditional masculinity have far stronger relationships than others with negative outcomes, and some elements even have associations with positive outcomes.
- Specific unhealthy outcomes and behaviours are shaped more by some masculine norms than others.
Let us look at the detail of these findings.
[For the remainder of this commentary, please go here. For the full Unpacking the Man Box report (2020), please go here.]
Citation: Flood, M. (2020). Men, masculine norms, and gender-transformative change. In The Men’s Project and M. Flood, Unpacking the Man Box: What is the impact of the Man Box attitudes on young Australian men’s behaviours and well-being? (pp. 38-48). Melbourne: Jesuit Social Services.