Masculinity and the Stalled Revolution

Abstract

Extant research suggests that supportive work-family policies promote gender equality inthe workplace and in the household. Yet, evidence indicates that these policies generally have stronger effects on women's preferences and behaviors than men's. In this article, we draw on survey-experimental data to examine how young, unmarried men's gender ideologies and perceptions of normative masculinity may moderate the effect of supportive work-family policy interventions on their preferences for structuring their future work and family life. Specifically, we examine whether men's prescriptive beliefs about what workfamily arrangements most people ought to prefer and whether men's descriptive beliefs about what work-family arrangements most of their male peers actually do prefer influence their responses to supportive policies. Our analysis shows that men's responses to supportive work-family policy interventions are highly dependent upon their beliefs about what their male peers actually want, rather than on their beliefs about what others should want. Specifically, men who believe that their male peers ideally want gender-egalitarian

Preferences for Paid Paternity Leave Availability, Lengths of Leave Offerings, and Government Funding of Paternity Leaves in the United States

“…Thus, there seems to be a great deal of ambivalence about involved fathering and dualearner couple ideals, in the midst of the continued influence of neoliberalism, ideal worker norms, and gendered parenting role attitudes that emphasize breadwinning roles for fathers (Collins 2019;Gerson 2009;Jacobs and Gerson 2004;Thébaud and Pedulla 2016).…”

“…Furthermore, the consistent findings about the positive associations between attitudes in support of dual-earner couples and preferences for more generous paid paternity leave offerings point to the emerging push for more egalitarian gender role expectations in work and family life, as women continue to increase their statuses and visibility in paid labor and both men and women seek to embrace more flexible and equal family arrangements. Yet, attitudes about traditionally gendered separate spheres seem to particularly shape women's preferences (Gerson 2009;Kaufman 2020;Raley et al 2012;Stone 2007;Thébaud and Pedulla 2016).…”

Perceived Men’s Feminization and Attitudes Toward Homosexuality: Heterosexual Men’s Reactions to the Decline of the Anti-Femininity Norm of Masculinity

“…men have demonstrated relatively low rates of entry into traditionally female-dominated occupations, modest increases in household work and childcare, and more limited propensities to endorse progressive gender ideologies than their female counterparts (Bianchi 2011;Cotter et al 2011;England 2010; see Thébaud and Pedulla 2016).…”

Preferences for Paid Paternity Leave Availability, Lengths of Leave Offerings, and Government Funding of Paternity Leaves in the U.S.

“…Furthermore, the consistent findings about the positive associations between attitudes in support of dual-earner couples and preferences for more generous paid paternity leave offerings point to the emerging push for more egalitarian gender role expectations in work and family life, as women continue to increase their statuses and visibility in paid labor and both men and women seek to embrace more flexible and equal family arrangements. Yet, attitudes about traditionally gendered separate spheres seem to particularly shape women's preferences (Gerson 2009;Kaufman 2020;Raley et al 2012;Stone 2007;Thébaud and Pedulla 2016).…”

“…Consistent with these sentiments, men have dramatically increased their levels of father involvement in recent decades (Bianchi et al 2006;Raley et al 2012). Yet, they remain sensitive to traditionally gendered masculinity norms and although they overwhelmingly tend to take some time off of work after the arrival of a new child, men usually take only one week or less off Thébaud and Pedulla 2016). Still, especially since fathers are the recipients of paid paternity leave offerings by definition, one might anticipate that men would be more likely than women to prefer that generous paid paternity leave offerings be made available, for their own self-interests.…”