Perceptions and Interpretation of Contemporary Masculinities in Western Culture: A Systematic Review

Abstract

The social construct of masculinity evolves in response to changes in society and culture. Orthodox masculinity is mostly considered to be hegemonic and is evidenced by the dominance of men over women and other, less powerful men. Contemporary shifts in masculinity have seen an emergence of new masculinities that challenge traditional male stereotypes. This systematic review aims to review and synthesize the existing empirical research on contemporary masculinities and to conceptualize how they are understood and interpreted by men themselves. A literature search was undertaken on 10 databases using terms regularly used to identify various contemporary masculinities. Analysis of the 33 included studies identified four key elements that are evident in men’s descriptions of contemporary masculinity. These four elements, (a) Inclusivity, (b) Emotional Intimacy, (c) Physicality, and (d) Resistance, are consistent with the literature describing contemporary masculinities, including Hybrid Masculinities and Inclusive Masculinity Theory. The synthesized findings indicate that young, middle-class, heterosexual men in Western cultures, while still demonstrating some traditional masculinity norms, appear to be adopting some aspects of contemporary masculinities. The theories of hybrid and inclusive masculinity suggest these types of masculinities have several benefits for both men and society in general.

Possible masculinities: A grounded theory on how university men envision themselves in the future.

“…In their systematic review of contemporary masculinities in a Western culture, Connor et al (2021) assert that young, middle-class, heterosexual men in a western culture appear to be endorsing some aspects of contemporary masculinities while holding on to traditional masculinity norms. This is consistent with other literature describing contemporary masculinities, including hybrid masculinities (HM; Bridges & Pascoe, 2014) and inclusive masculinity theory (IMT; Anderson & McCormack, 2018).…”

Beyond femininity or masculinity: gender typologies and healthy eating in early adulthood

“…One possible explanation may be that alcohol consumption is associated with masculinity [ 44 , 45 ], and daily wine consumption is one of the hallmarks of the Mediterranean diet [ 30 ]. Another explanation could be related to new trends in masculinity in that hybrid masculinities maintain typical characteristics of traditional masculinity, while selectively adopting some characteristics related to femininity or subordinate masculinities [ 46 ]. New masculinities have been found to allow for healthier diets [ 47 , 48 ].…”

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