Essay On Hegemonic Masculinity

Introduction: The concept of hegemonic masculinity, as described by R. W. Connell, is becoming more applicable than ever, namely in the world of sport. This notion was developed nearly twenty-five years ago, yet remains highly influential in the social construction of gender roles. In current Western societies, there is an automatic assumption that women involved in sports are all lesbians, and men posses more masculine traits than one who is not involved in sports. This double standard emphasizes the inequalities within the athletic community. The emphasis on masculinity brings forth different consequences for men and women, where men are regarded as strong and powerful, while women are intrinsically seen as more masculine (Baks & Malecek,

Connell states that masculinity is the end result of socialization and can, therefore, differ according to gender relations in regards to particular social settings (West, pg. 2, 2011). Historically sport has been an ideal means of addressing questions and concerns regarding hegemonic masculinity. Within the Western World, sports have been regarded as the most masculine institution, regardless of the recent progress within female involvement in sports, it is still largely organized, reported and run by men. The growth and development of organized sports since the turn of the 19th century, can be seen by some, as a means for men to regain the wavering ideology of male dominance after the integration of women into the labour force (West, pg. 5, 2011). Previous to the First World War, women were not eligible to work and were expected to stay and keep watch over the home while the husband was the bread maker. This all changed when men went to war leaving no other option than to employ women to work within the factories. As some might assume, this did not necessarily sit well with men as they had always been the ones making a living, and in some ways, by women entering the workforce, they felt as though they had been

Hegemonic masculinity surfaced as a critique for sex role theory, stating that masculinity may vary depending on ones socialization. This idea became more evident once women entered the workforce, as men felt emasculated after what was once solely a male-based aspect of daily life, was now open to women. As the world continues to develop so do gender roles. A major aspect of sports is the clearly defined gender order, which governs the behaviours of both men and women as a means of preserving patriarch and heterosexuality. This order is instilled in boys from a young age in the hopes that they follow these strict societal norms expected from them. To help preserve this thinking, institutions continuously attempt to better male athletes by focusing their attention on the male population as oppose to splitting this attention on both male and female