Masculinity or Femininity

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Masculinity versus Femininity Article

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Men and Masculinities · February 2017

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Masculinit versus Femininit

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Itulua-Abumere, Flourish School of Journalism, Humanities and Social Sciences Staffordshire University Stoke-On-Trent [email protected]


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For year’s society have categorized human figures and capacities. Popular categorizations such as potency, energy, power, control, boldness and insensitivity all describe the male character while caring nature has described a typical traditional female figure for decades. This been said anyway, does the word masculinity or femininity sound familiar? Most likely yes as it has become a popular word use to differentiate a man from a woman in recent times. Itulua-Abumere (2013) explained that masculinity consist of “certain behaviors, languages and practices, existing is specific cultural and organizational locations, which are commonly associated with males and thus culturally defined as not feminine” (Itulua-Abumere, 2013:42). If this is so, how then do we define femininity? Femininity is quite the opposite of masculinity; its attribute is the direct opposite of the description of masculinity. This is in no means a sign of weakness or disability. Rather femininity can be described as a set of features, behaviors and responsibilities normally linked with girls and women (Dunphy, 2000) It is important to bear in mind that femininity is a socially constructed characterization that combines socially, physically and biologically clear fashioned features. This is one reason why its definition is clearly different from the definition of biological female sex since either males or females can show signs of feminine personality (Ferrante, 2012).


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Attributes related with femininity diverge depending on location and background in some situations, and are subjective by a variety of social and cultural factors. Attributes conventionally quoted as feminine include kindness, understanding, sympathy and compassion.

As noticed, there is a clear difference between masculinity and femininity irrespective of been biologically or socially. How masculinity and femininity operates and affects our lives is usually a cause for further investigation. In terms of leadership roles, there is a significant difference between a masculine leader and a feminine leader. Below are some of the differences one can notice in an organizational setting putting in mind that some women also portray male like characteristics and this might not always be the case in all leadership roles.


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Leadership characters Masculinity Decisive Tough Analytical Antagonistic Pompous Egotism Independent Idiosyncratic Trust Logic

Femininity Fervent Bendable Insightful Strategize Ahead Devoted Realistic Collaborative Compassionate Trust Intuition

In terms of culture, exhibiting characteristics not distinctive of one’s gender may be classified as a social problem depending on the culture and society as cultural experience can differ. From sociological perspective, this cataloging is identified as gender assumptions and is part of socialization to meet the customs of society. Unusual and unacceptable behavior may be measured indicative of homosexuality, regardless of the fact that gender appearances, gender personalities and sexual orientations are extensively acknowledged as distinctive perceptions. While sexuality is clear in expressions of object choice, male homosexuality take to mean as effeminacy. Social condemnation of exercise masculinity may be articulated as Machismo or Neologisms such as testosterone poisoning (Alda, 1975)


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The comparative significance of socialization and genetics in the growth of masculinity is contested. Even though social habituation is supposedly said to play a role, psychologists and psychoanalysts such as Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung believed that features of feminine and masculine identity are in a way that is influenced by the part of the mind of which one is not fully aware is present in all human males (Laurie, 2014). The past spreading out of gender responsibilities is tackled by behavioral genetics, evolutionary psychology, human bionetwork, anthropology and sociology. All human mores appears to support and promote gender roles in writing, journalism, outfits and song; instances may take account of the epics of Homer, the Hengist and Horsa tales and the normative commentaries of Confucius. Feminist philosophers such as Judith Butler and Simone de Beauvoir challenge the idea that femininity and masculinity are shaped in the course of repetitive presentation of gender; these presentation make a replica and describe the traditional grouping of sex and or gender (Butler, 1990). Itulua-Abumere (2015) also mentioned that the feminist philosopher Judith Butler in the bodies that matters (1993), emphasized on how the female body is a matter- a material body with a sexual requirement. These requirements were not replicated to form another although Butler persist that materiality has a certain verifiable consequences on the presentation of gender (Butler, 1993 quoted in Itulua-Abumere, 2015).


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Masculinity vs Femininity: The masculinity measurement is used to measure the circulation of roles between genders, a high MAS score are found in countries where men are predictable to be tough, to be the provider, to be aggressive and to be physically powerful. In contrast, a low MAS score specifies that the countries have modest favoritism and demarcation between genders. The key differences between masculine and feminine societies are the obvious that masculinity challenges, earnings, recognition and career advancement are important to the masculine figure. Such society’s belief men should be selfconfident, striving and harsh while women are supposedly tender and tend to take care of relationships. Being responsible, influential and ambitious is for men; being caring and gentle is for women. Men take the role as the subject while women are pressured to be objects. In masculine societies, aggressions by children are tolerable, people live in other to work, and there is a lesser portion of women in professional jobs and political positions. In feminine societies, relationships and quality of life are very important, both men and women are expected to be modest, both men and women can be tender and focus on relationships, calmness is for women and men, single standard expectations both sexes are subjects, children are socialized to be non hostile, people work in other to live, more women in active professional and political roles.


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References Abumere, F. I. (2015) BOOK REVIEW of Judith Butler (1993) Bodies that Matter (Routledge) by Staffordshire University. Published by research gate DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.1.4474.8640 Alda, A. (1975). "What Every Woman Should Know About Men", Ms., New York Butler, J. (1990). Gender trouble: Feminism and the subversion of identity. New York; Routledge.

Dunphy, R. (2000). Sexual politics: An introduction. Edinburgh University Press. Ferrante, J. (2012). Sociology: A global perspective. Nelson Education Itulua-Abumere, F. (2013). Understanding Men and Masculinity in Modern Society. Open Journal of Social Science Research, 1(2), 42-45. Laurie, T. (2014). The ethics of nobody I know: gender and the politics of description. Qualitative Research Journal , 14(1), 6478.

Masculinity or Femininity

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