Subjective masculine norms among university students in Singapore: A mixed-methods study.

Abstract

In this mixed-methods study, the authors explored 348 Singaporean university students' subjective masculine norms, defined as individuals' perceptions of the most important social norms about men in a given group or society. Participants provided written responses to 6 open-ended prompts on their subjective masculine norms as well as their levels of endorsement of these norms. A directed content analysis of participants' qualitative responses identified providing for family, being a gentleman, emotional toughness, avoidance of inferiority to women, and avoidance of femininity as the 5 most prevalent and salient subjective masculine norms. Moderation analyses indicated that endorsement of subjective masculine norms was positively related to gender identity satisfaction and to life satisfaction for men, but not for women. A moderated mediation analysis indicated that gender identity satisfaction mediated the relationship between endorsement of subjective masculine norms and life satisfaction for men, but not for women. These findings are discussed within the context of how culture intersects with masculinities as well as the broader contributions of subjective masculine norms to the psychology of men and masculinities.

Evaluating a Tool to Support the Integration of Gender in Programs to Promote Men’s Health

“…This approach is supported by other researchers. For example, Wong et al (2016) examined subjective masculine norms among university students in Singapore through asking participants about their perceptions of the most important masculine norms in their society. This approach enabled the identification of masculine norms that were personally relevant and meaningful to men in context.…”

The Dynamic Paradigm of Ethnic Culture: Variations Across Context, Time, and Meaning

“…At the individual level, we draw analogies from Y. J. Wong, Ho, Wang, and Fisher's (2016) subjective gender norms model to build an account of how people construct ethnic culture. Guided by social constructionism, Y. J.…”

“…Guided by social constructionism, Y. J. Wong et al (2016) argued that people construct personal accounts of gender norms by determining what "counts" as gender experiences or gender norms. For instance, although emotional control has been conceptualized as a masculine norm in U.S. society, a Korean American man might construct this attribute as part of Korean culture rather than as a masculine norm (Y. J.…”

“…For instance, although emotional control has been conceptualized as a masculine norm in U.S. society, a Korean American man might construct this attribute as part of Korean culture rather than as a masculine norm (Y. J. Wong et al, 2016). Similarly, some people might attribute certain characteristics to "culture," whereas others might attribute that same characteristic to another aspect of their identity.…”

“…We draw from Y. J. Wong et al's (2016) method of assessing subjective masculine norms, which refers to people's perceptions of the most important social norms about men in a society or group. To assess subjective masculine norms, Y. J.…”