Will boys be boys? Attitudes towards masculinity and effeminacy in men

Abstract

The idea that “boys will be boys” has been used an excuse for many behaviours, both by men and towards them. With the recent burst in attempts to bring back “masculine men” and the rise of the hegemonic norms most may wish were left in the 1920s, this study attempted to explore the attitudes towards masculine and effeminate men held by a sample of Maltese participants. Specifically, any associations between one’s attitudes and their age, gender, and self-perception of their own gender were sought. Since research on hegemonic masculinity is often carried out from a feminist lens, a goal of the study was to take on a neutral approach to determine which stereotypes about men are the most believed. Questions from the BSRI-12, the MRNI-SF, and the AFNS were used to construct an anonymous questionnaire. Hypotheses were tested using data obtained from 410 participants aged 18-78. It was found that older age groups endorse traditional attitudes more strongly than younger ones, and use more dated adjectives to describe masculinity. Additionally, men were found to have more traditional views than women. Participants who perceived themselves as having low levels of femininity were found to endorse traditional attitudes more than those high in femininity. However, masculinity levels had no significant effect on endorsement levels of hegemonic norms. These findings highlight which groups need to be targeted to encourage changes in the way that men are perceived and consequently judged.