Understanding Masculinity in Undergraduate African American Men

Mincey, Krista; Alfonso, Moya L.; Hackney, Amy; Luque, John S.

doi:10.1177/1557988313515900

Cited by 21 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…As previously stated, Blacks generally engage in intraracial sexual behaviors and consistent with the literature (e.g., Hall & Applewhite, 2013; Mincey, Alfonso, Hackney, & Luque, 2013), many of our participants described the wide availability of desirable Black female (and/or male) partners that was not as abundant as in their home communities or if they had attended a PWI. This greater availability of partners may be that HBCU students report a greater number of sexual partners in the past year in comparison to students (of all races) attending PWIs (Buhi, Marhefka, & Hoban, 2010).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

“…There are few published studies that examine the sexual behavior of emerging adult Black men using an ecological framework and focusing on college men’s developmental trajectory (Kahn et al, 2009; Kogan et al, 2008; Lewis & Sly, 2011; Mincey, Alfonso, Hackney, & Luque, 2013; Randolph et al, 2013; Sly, Lewis, Roberts, Wernick, Lee, & Kirk, 2011). This formative study examined participant meanings around how multiple system levels including institutional culture, peers, and norms, impact the sexual behaviors of Black emerging adult men attending a historically Black college/university (Moustakas, 1994).…”

Section: Purpose Of the Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

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An Exploration of the Sexual Behaviors of Emerging Adult Men Attending a Historically Black College/University

Younge¹,

Boyer²,

Geter³

et al. 2014

bsr

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The purpose of this study was to provide formative data on the sexual behaviors of emerging adult Black men who attended a historically Black college/university. A convenience sample of 19 participants completed a demographic questionnaire and a semi-structured interview. This study utilized a phenomenological qualitative approach to explore the role of the developmental stage that emerging adulthood has on sexual health. Some of the major themes that emerged included maturation, sexual decision-making, respectability, a future orientation, and masculinity. Despite sexual initiation beginning prior to entering college, participants discussed how the college environment presented them with new information, experiences, and attitudes. This study provides useful information for the future investigation of emerging adult Black men who attend HBCUs.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Section: Purpose Of the Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

An Exploration of the Sexual Behaviors of Emerging Adult Men Attending a Historically Black College/University

Younge¹,

Boyer²,

Geter³

et al. 2014

bsr

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show abstract

“…Mincey, Alfonso, Hackney, and Luque (2014b) found, for example, that in their constructions of masculinities, college-educated Black men distinguished between what it means to be a man and what it means to be a Black man. In their descriptions of the social ecology of gender construction, participants identified their fathers, friends, and even themselves to be the most prominent forces responsible for shaping their views about masculinity (Mincey et al, 2014b). The current study extends this work by demonstrating how other figures in young men's lives, specifically popular culture and media figures, may also inform young Black men's beliefs about manhood.…”

Section: Black Masculinitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Media representations of popular culture figures and the construction of Black masculinities.

Goodwill¹,

Anyiwo²,

Williams³

et al. 2019

Psychology of Men & Masculinities

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The present study explores the construction of masculinity among young Black men. Of central concern is young Black men's subjective reflections on the role that popular culture and media have in informing how they understand and define their ideas of masculinity. The study uses interview data from a larger pilot study, the Young Black Men, Masculinities, and Mental Health Project, where participants sought to elucidate perceptions of the intersections between manhood and mental health. Study participants included 18-to 26-year-old Black men (n ϭ 11) enrolled at a university in the Midwest. When asked to describe and identify their definitions of manhood, participants referred to well-known male media figures of the past and present, and specifically identified various social movement leaders, athletes, and entertainers who were central to their conceptualization of manhood. Moreover, men identified both positive and negative qualities of these popular figures to determine aspects they either aspired to adopt or reject when forming their own ideas about manhood. Study findings show that popular culture figures play complex roles in Black men's constructions of masculinity while uncovering that Black men use the images of these figures to deconstruct harmful, antiquated stereotypes and tropes associated with Black masculinity. Popular culture figures are also used to highlight and grapple with complex messages about the disposability of Black men's lives.

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“…According to [22] young men who were socialised to adopt traditional masculine norms change their masculine ideology when they go to university as they are become exposed to different and liberal cultural practices which exist within higher education institutions. There is a large body of research indicating how socialisations produce different forms of masculinities [23][24][25][26]. Barker and Ricardo [21] stated that among young men in Africa versions of masculinities are multiple, with the conflicting understanding of what it means to be a man.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intersectionality of cultural norms and sexual behaviours: a qualitative study of young Black male students at a university in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

et al. 2020

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Background Sexual risk behaviours that occur among young men are based on dominant notions and practices that prevail in cultural contexts. As such, understanding the intersection of cultural norms and sexual risk behaviours among young men is very important. Methods The study used a qualitative design and conducted four focus group discussions with 36 male students who were purposively selected from different levels of study at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Data were analysed through line-by-line coding, and grouped into emerging themes and sub-themes facilitated by the use of Atlas.ti. Result The findings emphasize that socialisation agents such as the family, peers and community play an important role in prescribing acceptable and unacceptable sexual behaviour of young men. Some of the young men seemed to adhere to prescribed gender norms of what it means to be a man while some rejected them for alternative versions of being a man. In the context of the university environment, these findings reveal that male students cannot make informed decisions regarding condom use when they are intoxicated, and thus expose themselves to sexually transmitted infections and other risks. Conclusion University sexual risk reduction programs should be developed considering the specific cultural context, using strategies that empower young men to challenge the widely accepted cultural norms that may predispose them to sexual risks. Plain English summary Sexual behaviours and cultural norms are interconnected, it is through culture that people learn how to behave and understand the world around them. In many cultural contexts, young men are taught from a very young age how to behave based on dominant notions of what it means to be a man in that particular context. As such, in some cultural context sexual risk-taking such as having multiple sexual partners and unprotected sex are perceived as normal behaviour for men. Some young men embrace such normalised sexual behaviours which often has negative implications on their future. This study explored the influence of cultural norms on the sexual behaviour of young men. This qualitative study was conducted at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Four focus group discussions were conducted among first-year students to postgraduate students who were between the ages of 18 to 30 years. Our findings revealed that there other influences on the sexual behaviours of the young men, which included family, community and peers. It also emerged that gender norms regarding what it means to be a man still prevailed which some of the young men in the study adhered to, notably such notions seemed to be rejected by some of them. The university setting appeared to be space where a lot of sexual risk-taking took place, which potentially exposed the young men in the study to many sexual risks. In conclusion, targeted programs for the university setting should aim to challenge gender norms that expose young men to sexual risks.

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Understanding Masculinity in Undergraduate African American Men

Cited by 21 publications

References 23 publications

An Exploration of the Sexual Behaviors of Emerging Adult Men Attending a Historically Black College/University

An Exploration of the Sexual Behaviors of Emerging Adult Men Attending a Historically Black College/University

Media representations of popular culture figures and the construction of Black masculinities.

Intersectionality of cultural norms and sexual behaviours: a qualitative study of young Black male students at a university in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

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