Outline and assess Mac an Ghaill’s argument that changes in the economic, educational and domestic w - page 1
Keywords: crisis in masculinity, Sex Discrimination Act (1975),
By clarecj82 on 16/02/2009
Level: A Level (Year 13)
Page Number: 1 of 4 pages: 1 2 3 4Mac an Ghaill argues that masculinity was thought to be a “monolithic, unproblematic entity, with patriarchy attaining the universal status as the single cause of the oppression of women” . Traditionally, most British men were socialised into a specific role that they should be authority figures and breadwinners, which can be categorized as ‘Hegemonic masculinity’ which is the foremost western image of white, heterosexual and middle class. Most sociologists today agree that ‘gender identities’ are shaped through socialisation and Connell suggests that, masculinity can be seen as ‘complicit masculinity’, ‘subordinate masculinity’ or ‘marginalised masculinity’, which contrasts significantly with ‘hegemonic masculinity’. Subordinate masculinity which is the diverse characteristics of homosexual, black and the working class. Mac an Ghaill argues that “men who have been socialised into hegemonic forms of masculinity are experiencing anxiety and uncertainty because their patriarchal authority is being challenged by economically successful women” . He also argues that “best selling books on masculinity, experts on television shows discussing the difficulties being a man and male confessional writing in magazines and tabloid newspapers attest to the suggested crisis in western masculinity” . Masculinity can be seen to be related to femininity in that the definition of each is dependant upon the definition of the other, even though current images of femininity and masculinity are frequently indistinguishable. David Beckham is a good example of this, as he has confronted many of the main assumptions of masculinity and is known as a ‘metrosexual’ man. He is a hardworking, talented and committed family man yet his experiments with fashion and fragrances are taken by some men as an embarrassment to the conventionalities of ‘traditional’ masculinity. In order to assess Mac an Ghaill’s argument that changes in the economic, educational and domestic world has led to a crisis in masculine identity, the three areas must be examined separately in order to determine an accurate conclusion.
Mac an Ghaill argues that boys are socialised into realizing their role in life, with regards to having a job and being the breadwinner. He also argues that “working class boys are experiencing a ‘crisis in masculinity’” . When assessing his argument, it is evident that at the beginning of the nineteenth century, working class men, women and children worked in industrial production and mining. However, this was stopped with child labour laws and female labour also declined in these areas, with the view that ‘the woman’s place was in
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