Monday, August 24, 2015

Men who feel they fall short of 'masculine' gender norms may be prone to violence

No surprise. It's a shame how we treat our little boys.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-08/b-mwf082015.php

Public Release: 24-Aug-2015
Men who feel they fall short of 'masculine' gender norms may be prone to violence
More likely to commit violent assaults with weapons and to cause injury if they feel others see them in this light too
BMJ

Men whose image of themselves falls short of the traditional masculine gender norms, and who feel that others think this about them too, may be more prone to violence than men who feel comfortable in their own skin, suggests research published online in the journal Injury Prevention.

How men perceive traditional male gender norms and masculinity can affect their behaviour. In general, 'macho,' highly masculine men are more likely to engage in stereotypical male behaviours, such as risk taking, substance misuse, and acts of aggression, say the researchers.

But they wanted to find out if 'male discrepancy stress'--which describes men who see themselves as not only falling short of traditional masculine gender norms but who also worry that others view them in this light as well--had any impact on these behaviours.

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Analysis of the results showed that men who considered themselves less masculine than average and who experienced male discrepancy stress were more likely to say they had committed violent assaults with a weapon as well as assaults resulting in injury to the victim than those who didn't feel highly masculine, but who didn't worry about it.

There was no association between discrepancy stress and average daily use of alcohol or drugs, but men who felt less masculine, and who weren't worried about it were the least likely to report violence or driving while under the influence.

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