Hegemonic Masculinity & You |
the stereotypes that are masculine, feminine, and those associated with those that defy these typecasts |
BE A WOMAN: Be pretty. Appealing. Sweet. Caring. Fragile. Quiet. Submissive. Emotional. Small.
BE A MAN: Be aggressive, assert yourself. Always be on top. Be huge. Competitive. Strong. Macho.
The Crossover:
What happens when you don't fit either type? When you fit both molds, neither, or a combination of the two?
Gender discrimination.
When you don't fit the mold of the traditional woman, your identification as an athlete can become a non-issue. You're belittled as a competitor because of your refusal to conform. Success on the pitch doesn't translate into success off.
BE A MAN: Be aggressive, assert yourself. Always be on top. Be huge. Competitive. Strong. Macho.
The Crossover:
What happens when you don't fit either type? When you fit both molds, neither, or a combination of the two?
Gender discrimination.
When you don't fit the mold of the traditional woman, your identification as an athlete can become a non-issue. You're belittled as a competitor because of your refusal to conform. Success on the pitch doesn't translate into success off.
The specific content of the discrepant messages largely centered on the women rugby players' appearance. Stryker and Serpe (1994) suggested that, for a particular identity to become salient, an individual needs to receive positive reinforcement for its enactment. Many participants did not receive external validation for their feminine identity, and their physical characteristics seemed to be important in determining their ability to enact a more feminine gender role and/or be recognized as feminine by others.
In this study, the women rugby players' experience of gender-role conflict varied according to their gender-role behavior and sexual orientation. The conflict related to being perceived as not feminine enough highlighted the physical limits of a woman's ability to realize a feminine appearance.
Interestingly, participants observed to experience conflict about not being feminine enough sought out opportunities and environments (such as sports) that valued their body shape. The conflict related to managing both femininity and masculinity was manifest in heterosexual and bisexual rugby players whose sexual orientation was questioned because of their involvement in rugby. The emergence of this type of conflict supported the observation that women who act outside the prescribed gender role have their sexual orientation questioned (Bem, 1993; Lenskyi, 1999).