This thesis demonstrates the experiences of the women from different generations in the Turkish Military in the integration process. It also evaluates the attitudes of the men in the military towards this integration.

Knowledge of the terms sex and gender has important political, health and equity considerations. This thesis investigates the macrostructural assertions of Connell’s social theory of gender which is fundamentally concerned with demonstrating the relational and hierarchical nature of gender. A major criticism of the theory has been its lack of account of the individual and the ways in which gender is performed in local settings. Therefore, investigation primarily concerns whether Connell’s macrostructural theory is explicable in local social contexts. A theoretical critique and reframing of the theory lead to articulating the interdependency between structural, cultural and individual factors. By explicitly stating Connell’s implicit assertions, what becomes evident is that people’s gendered relations are interrelated with beliefs which are held personally and shared culturally. Specifically, a major theoretical impasse is overcome when recognising that the “ideology of supremacy” of a dominative masculinity is necessarily interdependent with the structural relations of power. / From here I have suggested that there are particular patterns of these structures and beliefs which can be seen in macrostructural terms, but also in local settings. These hypotheses are reframed into social network terms for an empirical investigation of Connell’s theory in local contexts. To determine whether the predicted hypotheses for Connell’s theory occur at greater than chance levels, a particular type of statistical model for social networks, called exponential random graph (p*) models, is employed. Importantly, such models utilize a methodological approach which specifically acknowledges the interdependency of structural, individual and cultural factors, thus aligning Connell’s theory with the method of investigation. / Primarily, Connell’s theory is concerned with differing configurations of masculinity, and for this reason my focus is predominantly on males and their relations with one another. To this end, two general local settings were chosen to explore these issues – secondary schools and all-male elite-level (AFL) sporting teams. Social network models were used to examine the relations between masculinities in six schools and four AFL clubs. Importantly, Connell has suggested that local contexts are likely to differ from one another in the degree to which they support gendered relations of power. Results for schools and clubs vary considerably from one another in the ways in which they provide local level support for Connell’s theory. Significantly though, there are some contexts which do show support for Connell’s theory. That such evidence can be found to endorse specifically defined local-level predictions for Connell’s theory, even when controlling for complex micro-level social structures, and also for other individual level effects, and still produce statistically significant effects supporting these predictions suggests that support is not trivial. There is strong evidence that attitudes towards masculinity can be an important organising principle in the emergence of hierarchy, not universally, but in some contexts. / It can be concluded that gender relations tend to operate in ways predicted by Connell’s theory, though local context is particularly important. The specific findings from local social contexts do have wider implications for Connell’s theory, including how hierarchy in gender can be tied to other structures of power, where femininities fit into the theory, a more precise account of hegemony and an exploration of the impact culture has in local settings.

The aim of this study was to examine how the two largest sports tabloids, Aftonbladet and Expressen, in Sweden represented the male and female Swedish athletes during the Olympic games in Pyeongchang 2018. Furthermore, the study examined how many male and female journalists covered the sport sections during the event and whether or not there were any differences between the tabloids. With agenda setting theory and hegemonic masculinity as our theoretical framework we conducted a quantitative content analysis on every news article revolving Swedish Olympic athletes during the Olympic period. The results showed no significant difference between male and female athletes regarding the amount of coverage in the tabloids. However, other findings were made and showed that female athletes more often got associated with their families and partners while male athletes were associated with their coaches. The study also showed that the majority of journalists reporting from the Olympic games were male.

Abstract This dissertation examines how boys construct masculinities and hierarchical orders in their social interactions at school. Those themes are studied from viewpoints of power, ethnicity, status, and particularly violence in a framework of hegemonic masculinity. The study uses feminist post-structural methodology and critical discourse analysis; the material consists of questionnaires, interview data, and observation material collected in two phases from the same school classes in 2002 and 2007. Tuija Huuki’s qualitative, longitudinal material is also explored in two joint articles written with her. Longitudinal analysis and case studies are also used in this research. Four discursive forms of masculinity are found and analysed in this research from the perspective of hegemonic masculinity. These forms of masculinity legitimate, challenge, or affect hegemonic masculinity, and are considered particularly from a viewpoint of visible violence and subtle, normalised violence. Toughies used violence the most visibly. Banal balancers used violence in more subtle manners. Silent sympathisers for their part legitimated violence as bystanders, while gender traitors were often targets of gendered violence as they withdraw from hegemonic masculinity. In the context of this work, hegemonic masculinity refers to the pursuit of culturally and socially idealised masculinity, which was considered normal on a local level. This research also analyses peer likeability and respect, which are suggested as the prominent dimensions of status in a framework of hegemonic masculinity. Respect links more closely to a cultural pattern of masculine supremacy and power position than to peer likeability. The concept of hegemonic masculinity – analysed through power relations and through status and its resources – proved mosaic-like, transforming, and difficult in nature, but also useful to this research both theoretically and pragmatically. The struggle for status and power is violent when it includes a superiority that diminishes others and if a higher hierarchical position is aspired to at another person’s expense. This research also exposes the struggles and normalised violence in which ethnicity is present. It challenges teachers to develop models of how communality constructs manners of using power. / Tiivistelmä Tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan poikien maskuliinisuuksien rakentumista ja hierarkkisia järjestyksiä sosiaalisissa vuorovaikutussuhteissaan koulussa. Näitä teemoja analysoidaan vallan, etnisyyden, statuksen ja erityisesti väkivallan näkökulmista hegemonisen maskuliinisuuden viitekehyksessä. Tutkimuksessa käytetään feminististä metodologiaa ja kriittistä diskurssianalyysia. Materiaali koostuu kahdesta koululuokasta viiden vuoden välein kerätystä kyselylomake-, haastattelu- ja havainnointiaineistosta. Kahdessa yhteisartikkelissa on käytetty myös Tuija Huukin kokoamaa laadullista, pitkittäistutkimuksellista aineistoa. Tutkimuksessa käytetään pitkittäisanalyysia sekä tapaustutkimuksellista otetta. Aineistosta löytyi hegemonisen maskuliinisuuden näkökulmasta tarkasteluna neljä maskuliinisuusmuotoa. Näitä hegemonista maskuliinisuutta legitimoivia, haastavia ja siitä irtisanoutuvia diskursiivisia maskuliinisuuksien muotoja on analysoitu huomioiden erityisesti näkyvä ja piiloinen, normalisoitunut väkivalta. Kovikset käyttivät väkivaltaa näkyvimmin, banaalit tasapainoilijat piiloisemmin, rauhalliset myötäilijät legitimoivat väkivaltaa sivusta seuraamalla ja hegemonisen maskuliinisuuden pettäjät joutuivat usein sukupuolistuneen väkivallan kohteiksi irtisanouduttuaan hegemonisesta maskuliinisuudesta. Hegemoninen maskuliinisuus tarkoittaa tässä tutkimuksessa paikallisella tasolla kulttuurisesti ja sosiaalisesti hyväksytyn, normaalina pidetyn maskuliinisuuden tavoittelua. Tutkimuksessa on analysoitu myös statuksen ulottuvuuksia, joiksi hegemonisen maskuliinisuuden viitekehyksessä määrittyivät kaverisuosio ja respekti. Respekti määrittyy tässä tutkimuksessa statuksen maskuliiniseen kunnioitukseen liittyväksi minäorientoituneeksi ulottuvuudeksi, jolla on vahvempi yhteys valta-asemaan kuin kaverisuosioon. Hegemoninen maskuliinisuus näyttäytyi mosaiikkimaisena, muuttuvana ja hankalana mutta käyttökelpoisena teoreettisena ja pragmaattisena käsitteenä tämän tutkimuksen kontekstissa. Kamppailu statuksesta ja vallasta on väkivaltaista silloin, kun siihen liittyy toisia väheksyvää paremmuusajattelua, jossa omaa asemaa pyritään parantamaan toisten kustannuksella. Tämä tutkimus tekee näkyväksi näitä kamppailuja ja niihin liittyvää normalisoitunutta väkivaltaa, jossa myös etnisyydellä on osansa. Samalla se haastaa kasvattajat kehittämään malleja yhteisöllisyyttä rakentavasta vallankäytöstä koulussa.

South Africa has the biggest HIV epidemic in the world and the HIV rates among youth are especially alarming. In 2016 there were 110 000 new cases of HIV among 15 to 24-year-olds. The aim of this study is to describe and analyse perceptions of HIV and HIV prevention among Xhosa youth in the township of Langa, Cape Town. In order to study this, I focus on the organisation loveLife and their employed peer educators called groundBREAKERs (gBs). To gain knowledge on what fuels the HIV epidemic in this setting I will examine their thoughts and notions of HIV/AIDS, sexuality and sexual behaviour in relation to the information that is available to them. Examining the socio-cultural context of HIV/AIDS is important to understand the spread and why HIV is not declining sufficiently in response to HIV preventative efforts. This thesis is based on ten weeks of fieldwork at loveLife’s Y-Centre in Langa. The material was gathered through semi-structured interviews and participant observation. To analyse the drivers for the spread of HIV among Xhosa youth an analytical tool of gender roles, with a main focus on masculinity, has been utilized.

Syftet med denna studie var att lyfta fram pappors beskrivningar av att vara förälder utifrån deras förväntningar av vad en pappa respektive en man är. Detta för att få en överblick kring vilka förutsättningar och hinder män kan stå inför vid uttag av sin rätt till föräldraledighet. För att besvara frågeställningarna har ett kvalitativt metodologiskt angreppssätt använts i form av ostrukturerade intervjuer med öppna frågor. Urvalet i studien var sju fäder med minst ett barn under tre år. Intervjuerna genomfördes genom personligt möte med fem pappor och via telefon med de återstående papporna. De teman som diskuterades under intervjuerna var föräldraskap, arbete och försörjning, papparollen, mansrollen, föräldrastöd och förväntningar på sin partner och vice versa. Insamlad empiri analyserades utifrån en innehållsanalys där kodning och tematisering användes. I studien användes Raewyn Connells teori om olika maskuliniteter och George Herbert Meads teori om symboliska interaktionism som teoretiska utgångspunkter. Dessa teorier användes för att förstå mäns villkor i hur de kan utöva deras rätt till föräldraledighet. Detta genom att lyfta fram vilka barriärer män kan stå inför i förhållande till könsnormer, samt hur de hanterar dessa genom att belysa deras interaktion med andra människor. Resultatet visar att en destruktiv hegemonisk maskulinitet kan utgöra svårigheter för mäns föräldraskap, medan en uppmuntrande hegemonisk maskulinitet tillåter män att våga trotsa ideal om att de inte är hemma med sina barn. Med våra informanters berättelser kunde författarna skilja på en lojalitet gentemot informanternas arbetsplats som kan förklaras i Meads teori om den generaliserade andre. Interaktionen mellan kollegor och andra människor kan utgöra en tvingande arbetskultur som hindrar män att nyttja sina rättigheter. Studien framhäver att även om staten har upprättat reformer som främjar jämlikhet, till exempel de öronmärkta föräldradagarna, kan manlighetsideal förstås hindra staten från att nå sitt mål. / The purpose of this study was to highlight fathers’ descriptions of their expectations of what a father and a man are. The writers of this study aimed to get an overview of different conditions and barriers men can face when exercising their right to parental leave. To answer these questions was a qualitative method in terms of semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions used. The selection in the study was seven fathers with at least one child under three years. The interviews were conducted by a personal meeting with five of the fathers, while two interviews took place over the phone with the two remaining fathers. During the interview’s themes such as parenthood, employment and livelihood, the role of a father, the role of a man, parental support and expectations on their partner and vice versa were introduced. The empirical data is analyzed through a content analysis method, where coding and thematization were used. The study used Raewyn Connell’s theory of different masculinities and George Herbert Mead’s symbolic interaction as theoretical starting points. These theories were used to understand which barriers men face from gender norms and how they handle them being shown through interaction with other people. These conditions can avert men from exercising their right to parental leave. The result shows that a destructive hegemonic masculinity can pose difficulties for men’s parenthood, while an encouraging hegemonic masculinity allows men to dare to defy ideals about them not being home with their children. With our informant’s narrative we were able to distinguish a loyalty towards their workplace which could be emblematized in Mead’s notion about the generalized other. The interaction with colleagues and other people can constitute a coercive work culture that prevents men's protection of their rights. The study highlights that even though the state has established reforms that promote equality, for example the gender-segregated parental days, masculinity ideals can prevent the state from reaching its goal.

Eating meat is an increasingly problematic social practice. It has devastating environmental effects; itends and exploits animals’ lives and as a social practice it is also connected to other oppressive systems.In our culture, meat is symbolically tied to manhood and the ideological system of carnism that supportsanimal exploitation. This strong relationship between meat and masculinity becomes a problem for vegan men that wishes to advance animal welfare but are held back by masculine norms. Must masculinity be contested by vegan men in order to advance veganism? This research explores vegan men’s perception of masculinity and veganism through six in-depth interviews. The study uses thematic analysis and utilises Connell’s theory of hegemonic masculinity to explore these vegan men’s perception and relationship to masculinity in a vegan context. The study shows that vegan men disassociate themselves from what they perceive to be negative masculine traits. Instead, they endorse feminine traits such as humility andempathy leading to what they perceive to be a more mature identity. However, and as this study shows,masculinity is still much in focus. While asserting that men’s role in veganism is crucial to reach other men, they advance masculine traits such as rationalism, knowledge, argumentation and winning. Following the political theorist Wendy Brown, these traits are comprehended as adhering to a neoliberalist subject position that frames our contemporary political landscape. The study shows how hegemonic forms of masculinity may be reproduced through veganism by appeal and consensus with masculine norms.

Gender and stereotypes in advertising is a critical discourse analysis aimed at studying how femininity and masculinity is portrayed in Gillette and Gillette Venus marketing on YouTube. Both brands have, after the #metoo campaign, opted to approach their marketing from different point of view since their previous advertising has been heavily criticized for endorsing negative gender stereotypes. The theoretical framework consists of commodity feminism, the male gaze, stereotyping and hegemonic masculinity. The material studied were three commercials taken from each brand’s YouTube channel since the change in marketing direction. The videos were posted in 2018-2019. The results show that although both brands have made a change in how they portray femininity and masculinity there are still sizeable differences in how women and men are approached as target groups.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV (UNAIDS) strongly recommends that developing countries regard medical male circumcision as a biomedical intervention. This recommendation has caused developing countries seeking a radical solution to the prevailing and persistent social problem of HIV to reform their health policies. Most now discourage traditional male circumcision and promote safe medical male circumcision (SMMC) as a strong contributor to reductions in HIV transmission. This has introduced conflicts in traditional African societies such as the Bugisu, where male circumcision is culturally motivated, symbolising a rite of passage from boyhood to manhood. In the Bugisu sub-region, the local Bamasaaba regard their cultural practice of traditional male circumcision (TMC) as prestigious.

This essay deals with how Margaret Atwood’s novel The Handmaid’s Tale (1985) works as a critique of the patriarchal hierarchy and the values it brings. This is portrayed in a dystopic setting in which women are subordinate to men, but also men being subordinate and marginalized by other men. Based on a gender theory on masculinities, an analysis is made on two male characters; Luke and the Commander. Both characters gain advantages in society because of hegemonic masculinity. One of them gains advantages in pre-Gilead society, and the other in the Gilead society. The focus of the analysis is on the similarities of the two characters’ connection to hegemonic masculinity. Even though, they live in different periods of history. / Denna uppsats behandlar hur Margaret Atwoods roman En Tjänarinnas Bekännelse (1985) fungerar som en kritik mot det patriarkala samhället och de värderingar som det medför. Detta porträtteras i en dystopisk miljö där kvinnor är underlydande till män, men också där män är underlydande och marginaliserade av andra män. Baserat på en könsanalys om maskuliniteter, så görs en analys av två karaktärer. Luke och the Befälhavaren. Båda karaktärer får fördelar i samhället på grund av hegemonisk maskulinitet. En av dem får fördelar i samhället före skapandet av Gilead, och den andra i Gileads samhälle. Analysen fokuserar på de likheter som finns i kopplingen till hegemonisk maskulinitet hos dem två karaktärerna. Även fast, de lever i två olika tider av historien.