Much of the previous research on systematic variation in social judgements has focused on attractiveness judgements and factors that are related to inter-sexual competition (reviewed in Chapter 1). By contrast, there has been relatively little work on the extent to which factors that may be more closely related to intra-sexual competition, such as the outcomes of aggressive conflict with own-sex individuals and competition for resources, may have shaped perceptions of potential rivals. Correlational studies showed that indices of men’s (Chapter 2) and women’s (Chapter 4) own dominance were negatively correlated with the extent to which they perceived masculine own-sex individuals to be more dominant than feminine own-sex individuals. These findings suggest that those individuals who are likely to incur more substantial costs if they underestimate the dominance of potential rivals may find cues of others’ dominance (i.e., masculine characteristics) to be particularly salient. Further evidence for this proposal came from priming experiments in which men who were primed with scenarios in which they lost confrontations were more likely to ascribe high dominance, but not trustworthiness, to masculine men’s faces than were men who were primed with scenarios in which they won confrontations (Chapter 3). Further priming experiments suggested that priming women with cues to the sex ratio of the local population (Chapter 5) or priming women’s concerns about resources versus pathogens (Chapter 6) altered the salience of facial cues of others’ attractiveness and dominance. While previous research on systematic variation in social perception has tended to focus on attractiveness judgements and factors related to inter-sexual competition, the findings reported in this thesis highlight the potential importance of dominance perceptions and factors related to intra-sexual competition. Directions for future research, such as establishing whether dominance perceptions predict real world social outcomes, are then discussed (Chapter 7).

This research adopted the concept Hegemonic Masculinity and inquired how this kind of gender practice influenced early childhood teachers’ pedagogy, in order to interpret the gap between the real teaching practice and the ideal gender equity promoted in the elementary schools in B.C. for current years. Combining my growing and teaching experience in the traditional patriarchal society, I interviewed four elementary school teachers and observed their classes. The results presented: (1) hegemonic masculinity within students’ conversations and parents’ educational attitudes became a barrier to teachers who took gender-neutral pedagogy; (2) hegemonic masculinity emphasized gender binary in teachers’ daily language and teaching materials; (3) teachers’ expectations to students reflected the needs and requirements of the male-dominant society. I also collected teachers’ efforts to avoid hegemonic masculinity and promote gender equity with formulating three stories and my analysis. / Graduate / 0518 / 0515 / xinyanfa@uvic.ca

As Student Affairs has developed as a profession, scholars and practitioners have identified deficiencies in classical identity development theory pertaining to women; gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, or trans-gendered people; people of color, people with disabilities; and other historically underrepresented identities. Further, the school of thought is that student development theory is primarily based on research subjects who are middle/upper-class Caucasian men and thus is applicable to this population primarily. Thus, newer scholarship has emerged to explain identity development in particular minority groups and women. This project argues that classical theory not only fails to capture salient developmental processes of marginalized groups, but in fact fails to capture elements of male identity development. While the theories are gendered male per se (due to the subjects studied), they are resonant with hegemonic (socially constructed and imposed) masculinity rather than an authentic human masculine identity. There are consequences to this for men and women.The Student Affairs field has established knowledge, values, and best practices, which is inculcated into new practitioners through the professional socialization process. The purpose of this constructivist inquiry was to examine this process, its underlying values and norms, and its effect on professionals' conceptions of male students. Seventeen Residence Hall Directors with graduate degrees in Student Development or related disciplines were interviewed about their socialization into the field, thoughts about male students, and reactions to a case example depicting an incident on a college campus. Findings suggest a lack of theoretical or conceptual understanding of male gender identities, and consequently a difficulty in viewing male students developmentally. Moreover, without such understanding, new professionals' conception of marginalized identities can unwittingly reify rather than interrupt stratification and privilege.

This study investigates a well-explored topic, the relationship between gender and language, with a unique set of data--Japanese translations of highly gendered discourse contexts in Cosmopolitan and Playboy magazines. In both magazines, being attractive, heterosexual (wo)men is one of the ultimate goals. Therefore, choosing the 'right' words and expressions to display their gender identities is expected to be important for the writers. For this reason, language use in both magazines is expected to correspond to hegemonic masculinities and femininities in today's Japan.Comparative analysis of the two languages is limited to an examination of the use of passive voice. The results suggest one gender-specific constraint--Japanese women avoid maintaining the inanimate subject of English passive sentences--and one language-specific constraint--Japanese passive sentences are preferred when the speakers discuss their personal relationships.In addition to the comparative analysis of passives in English and Japanese, gender differences for the Japanese data are also examined in other linguistic aspects. Over 14,000 Japanese sentences from Cosmopolitan Japan and Playboy Japan were divided into three groups of senders (authors)--male, female, and editorial--and compared in relation to the following three aspects: person referential forms, sentence endings, and directive expressions. The results suggest that male senders of both magazines are moderately masculine, while female senders of both magazines are extremely feminine. This may suggest that sociocultural pressure on Japanese women to preserve their 'women's language' is strong, while such pressure is not obvious with men's language use.This study further argues that male-centered and female-centered discourse communities in the two magazines provide their readers not only sociocultural conventions of language use, but also gender-specific socialization experiences and different senses of preferred social structures. More specifically, the readers of Cosmopolitan Japan learn the importance of peer approval, and the importance of gender difference, hierarchy, and politeness as a part of femininity. However, they may not learn how to make femininity and power coexist. In contrast, the readers of Playboy Japan learn the value of independence and may learn that gender and hierarchy/power are not rigid and that one can be simultaneously feminine and powerful, and masculine and polite.

This study considered Toni Morrison’s novel Beloved. This essay focuses on Paul D and his journey to recover his manhood since he had been deprived of it as a slave. I have examined Paul D’s character through the lens of masculinity studies that are framed by issues of ethnicity and race. The essay also considers Beloved’s effect on Paul D and how she helped him release his repressed memories. In turn, Paul D helps the love of his life, Sethe, to heal and she too releases her repressed memories.  Finally, the essay claims that Paul D went through many stages in his lifetime; most importantly he was a slave, who becomes a free man and develops into an agent for healing.

The paper will clear out the student perspective in order to examine students' attitude towards what would be important to touch on a matter of life. The essay will explore what is important for students to discuss and respond to their environment in schools and perceived to be relevant to talk about in life skills. There is an object which deals with gender and masculinity in the study. The study would examine whether a student perspective on life can affect the current knowledge of gender structures in the school. Qualitative research interviews were carried out in seven students in grade 9 at a school located in inner suburbs of Stockholm. In-terviews were of semi-structured nature and after transcription analyzed with hermeneutic and phe-nomenological method. A theoretical background of theories on life skills and other core subjects has also been behind the thesis conclusions.

Media has a big impact on our lives and is one of the main channels for people to recieve information. When recieved, the messages creates a meaning for the people that read, hear or see them. In other words, media could be seen as a source for people on how to perceive the world and it gives a certain picture of what is ”normal”. We chose to do this study to get a deeper knowledge of how men and women are being portrayed in a Swedish lifestyle magazine and what messagest that sends out to the readers. In this study we have examined how men and women are being portrayed in the Swedish magazine Café, both in photographs and in text. We have used qualitative, rhetorical and semiotic methods to detect the differences and similarities in the four articles examined. The theoretical framework in this study is mainly based on Laura Mulveys ”The Male Gaze”, Anja Hirdmans theory about homosociality and Anthony Giddens well-known theory about structuration. Also, we have used radical feminism and Judith Butlers theory ”The Heterosexual Matrix”. The main findings show clear differences connected to the typical normative ideas that has long existed for the male and female gender. In the articles examined in this study, men are being described as independent and strong with no need to lean on other people to be successfull. Women on the other hand, are being presented as sensitive, dependent and weak sexual objects. According to the articles, they have no capacity to succeed on their own and their role is merely to please and obey the men. The findings on how the genders are being portrayed, and that men are given the main attention and focus show us that Café doesn´t at all favor the developement for the equality between the two genders. That is an important issue and shows that more research needs to be done within the gender field.

Female apologetic behaviour in sport includes any behaviour by female athletes that emphasizes a female athlete’s femininity. This behaviour is in response to the masculine and/or lesbian stereotypes associated with female sport participation. This thesis analyzed the female apologetic within Canadian women’s rugby. Attention was paid to the relationship of level of competition, racial identity, sexual orientation and socioeconomic status with female apologetic behaviours. In-depth interviews with nine Canadian, female rugby players from various levels of competition, races and sexual orientations were conducted to explore these negotiations. Judith Butler’s idea of gender performativity was used as a research lens. The participants stated that they did not currently engage in any apologetic behaviour, and it was found that level of rugby, race, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status did not impact female apologetic behaviours. Rugby was found to be a safe place for the participants to perform resistant versions of femininity.

Hunting is considered as the most masculine activity in our society. Historically, man has been described as the provider for his family, this in the forms of hunting and gathering. Today hunting is still associated with a male hunter, but women have started to infiltrate the hunting culture. In this study hunting culture is analyzed with a gender perspective. In a modern society with gender and equality as a big subject of debate it is interesting to examine this impact on a culture so linked with masculinity. By interviewing five female hunters, using a narrative approach and analyzing with gender theory, the results show that a masculine dominance undermines women and femininity in the culture of hunting. The results also show that women have constructed a feminine hunting form as a reaction to the male dominance.

This thesis is an investigation of elite normative masculinity in medieval Scotland. The attempts of medieval men to claim, enforce or deny personal obligations within homosocial relationships provide evidence of how aristocratic Scotsmen ought to have behaved. These obligations appear in documentary and literary sources and indicate the importance of the relationships associated with them. Charters and bonds of friendship, fealty, and indenture, and three fourteenth-century literary sources, the Liber Extravagans, Gesta Annalia, and The Bruce, provide evidence of normative expectations of men in medieval Scotland. These sources present a picture of an ideal man whose interactions with other men were governed by expectations of loyalty, honesty, bravery, wisdom, and valour. It is also apparent that while courtly chivalry was an influential normative source, its precepts were of secondary importance to the welfare and protection of one’s dependants. This study contributes to the growing body of work that emphasizes the importance of understanding manliness and male experiences as a gendered, constructed, and important force within society. / Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada; Ontario Graduate Scholarship