Masculinity and femininity are taken for granted as being a natural part of everyday existence forming acceptable images of what it means to be a man and a woman. It is revealed that in conforming to the sexual stereotype of what it means to be masculine and feminine, men's repression of their emotional life forms a counterpart of their oppression of women, for the repression of men's emotional life as a process, manifests itself through the oppression of women. The socioeconomic relations, being exploitative in nature, having been obscured and mystified by masculine and feminine forms of false consciousness, justify the prevalent social circumstances by portraying them as natural and inevitable, thus serving to hide the fact that men and women comprise of both, masculine and feminine characteristics. Disclosing the quality of the experience of men's repression of their emotional life as a counterpart of their oppression of women, through qualitative description and reflection, it is evident that individuality and human social relationships are restricted by the constraints of masculine and feminine stereotypes. It is clearly highlighted, that women help to perpetuate the repression of male emotional life and in turn their own oppression through supporting the successful work, status and power oriented 'macho' male. Through the recognition of the pressures, and a re-evaluation of the masculine role, men will no longer see cause to oppress women and through that there will no longer be a need to repress their own emotional life. There is a need for self-reflection in those individuals and groups restricted by the constraints of masculinity and femininity for the realization of new possibilities of enlightened social action and individuality.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:rhodes/vital:3112 |
| Date | January 1988 |
| Creators | Hine, Grant Burnett |
| Publisher | Rhodes University, Faculty of Humanities, Psychology |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis, Masters, MA |
| Format | 158 pages, pdf |
| Rights | Hine, Grant Burnett |
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