In recent times, the concept of “new masculinities” has been increasingly discussed and is a frequent topic in the media and on social networks. But do you know exactly what the term refers to and what it means for achieving real equality between women and men? Let me tell you more…
Gender identity is formed through naturalized actions within a person’s social context, which are considered essential and biological rather than social. These socialization processes reinforce and sustain a system of preconceived ideas about what it means to be a man and a woman, conditioning how we behave, feel, and think.
Masculinity is, therefore, a historical and cultural construction that represents a set of practices, behaviors, values, and roles that each society naturally attributes to men, characterized by qualities such as virility and strength, and other elements revolving around the privilege of power and the denial of emotions (Rodríguez, 2021).
It was sociologist R.W. Connell who developed the concept of hegemonic masculinity in the 1980s, and since then it has been widely debated.
From a gender studies perspective, it is understood as a social category and an organization of meanings and norms that shape a series of social discourses defining the masculine side of gender. It is formed as one of the two categories of the generic definition of people and refers to what it means to be — and not to be — a man.
Although there are perspectives that speak of different versions of this masculinity, from an individual standpoint, there is only one that dominates the construction of masculine identity. It is a symbolic — and arbitrary — construction, made up of a set of myths, beliefs, and meanings about being a man, telling us what an “authentic” man should be like (Burín & Meler, 2000).
When we talk about traditional or hegemonic masculinity, we refer to values, stereotypes, myths, behaviors, and attitudes characteristic of men in a specific social context.
In this sense, androcentrism underpins a traditional masculinity that places men at the center of the social, political, cultural, and economic spheres, while positioning women in the private domain, limited to reproductive and caregiving roles.
At an individual level, many men claim they share household chores and caregiving responsibilities for children or dependents, or that their salary is not higher than their partner’s. However, on a global scale, the gender pay gap, the feminization of caregiving, and gender-based violence clearly show that there are significant structural differences and that legal equality is not reflected in reality.
There seems to be an apparent change from the traditional masculinity model, but the social structure that sustains it has not substantially changed. Women are increasingly demanding equality, but most men have not advanced at the same pace. This is known as complicit masculinity — men who consider themselves feminists but continue to repeat patterns that perpetuate women’s inequality without questioning them.
The concept of new masculinities is increasingly discussed and is closely linked to gender equality, as it challenges long-standing gender stereotypes assigned to us from birth.
The new masculinities, or egalitarian masculinities, represent a way of being a man from a perspective of equality and respect — not only toward others but also toward oneself. To achieve this, it is necessary to rethink the traditional masculine role, unlearn it, and find new ways of being and relating from a position of equality:
For legal equality to be realized and materialized, a social transformation is needed — one that involves a change in feeling, thinking, and expressing oneself. But this change must not only be personal; it must also be structural — political, economic, and institutional — and it requires recognizing that the patriarchal system harms not only men but also half of humanity: women.
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