The Myth of Masculinity

by Joseph H. Pleck

In this book, Joseph Pleck examines and analyzes the full body of research literature on the male role that has appeared since the 1930s and subjects it to a devastating critique. He identifies the components of the "male sex role paradigm" which has been the basis of research for the past forty years, and notes numerous instances of blatant misrepresentation of data, twisted reinterpretations of disconfirming results, misogyny, homophobia, and class bias. He proposes a new theory, the "sex role strain paradigm," offers a reinterpretation of sex role stereotyping, and a critique of research by sociobiologists that allegedly demonstrates a biological basis for male aggression.

Genres: Feminism, Gender Studies, Gender, Nonfiction

Paperback

First published September 1, 1981

Reviews

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great commentary on the presence and effect of the masculine culture in the US. The foundational thought is that there are several characteristics that have come to represent what it means to be a man. These include emotional restrictiveness, compulsive heterosexuality, eschewal of anything feminine, physical strength, etc. Pleck's point, though, and it was an original and provocative argument in his time, is that living up to these ideals is not the positive outcome that our society generally imagines. Not only are many of these characteristics harmful in themselves, striving to live up to them and not achieving them is also detrimental.

Some current masculinity research disagrees with Pleck's complete negativity and hypothesizes that there can be positive as well as negative outcomes associated with some of the traditional masculine characteristics. For instance, emotional restrictiveness might be an important part of high stress jobs like pilots or surgeons that need to be able to ignore fear or anxiety.

I like this amended view because it provides an argument for some positive characteristics of what it means to be a man. As I strive to understand gender roles and the reasons why God ordained them for us to grow into, I continue to seek what it means to be a man and what it means to be a woman and why those differences might matter.

[RJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though this is definitely dated, I think that this is an important read for anyone who is engaging in any form of gender studies. So often, the focus is on women (and understandably so, once you learn the extent of the exclusion of women in early psychological studies) and focus on men as the overt oppressors. This work is important, but it's also important to understand the ways in which these systems also work to oppress men, too.

I read this for my thesis work and found it to be very illuminating. In order to move forward, we must understand history. I think this book provides a great foundation on the MSRI and SRS paradigms. Also - it is very easy to read and understand, which is something that is incredibly rare when it comes to academic work.