The Changing Male Role? An Empirical Analysis

The purpose of this project was threefold: first, to review and critique a body of literature on the male sex role, and specifically the male liberation literature; second, to present a discussion of social psychological concepts pertinent to the topic of the male sex role which are often absent in the literature; and third, to conduct an exploratory study to determine if the behaviors and attitudes of the men interviewed were consistent with the themes expounded in the literature.

An open-ended interview schedule based on themes in the male sex role literature was developed. Thirty middle class, married males between the ages of 20 and 30 years were chosen through the process of snowball sampling.

The interview data supported some of the themes but failed to support others. In most cases the findings showed that the assertions in the male sex role literature have been overstated and oversimplified. For example, while most men agreed that men generally have trouble expressing emotions, a large percentage indicated that they personally could freely expression their emotions. Although most of the subjects stated that they had in the past felt the pressure to prove their masculinity, most indicated that it was not a constant consideration. Other themes received similar qualified support. The various findings in this study suggest that men hold conflicting views about what is masculine and what is appropriate behavior.