Young Men’s Gender Identities and Their Relationships

Young people’s identities are predominantly about the way they see themselves, but also how they are viewed by others.  Gender refers to whether a person is male or female and it is a key aspect of a young person‘s identity. A gender identity is how a person identifies and classifies themselves to their self or to others as being either male or female, this encompasses their sexuality and their self-body image.  Gender and gender identity may not always correspond.  (Gross, 1996, p.575).  This simplistic definition of gender is further developed in the developmentalist approach to gender, which simply sees gender as being determined by biological sex and as following universal patterns.  By this, they mean that all males will progress through the same changes and likewise with all females.  This is also known as the essentialist approach to gender and views gender as being biologically or psychologically determined. 

This approach does not take into account any other factors such as society, class, upbringing or economic situations.  It also doesn’t differentiate gender identities in a variety of cultures. An opposing view is that of the social constructionist approach to gender.  This challenges the essentialist approach in the view that gender is not merely constructed biologically or psychologically, but is constructed in a much more diverse social context.  This perspective suggests that over a period of time and within different groups of society, what is considered to be femininity or masculinity have changed. An example of this is the change in a males role within the family.  It is now seen as the norm for a man to play an active part in the upbringing of his children, but fifty years ago in a Western society this would not be seen as masculine.  I would also contribute the opinion that what is considered to be masculinity or femininity and their associated behaviours and roles within the family may not only have changed over a period of time, but differ in a variety of different cultures, particularly non-Western cultures .  interaction may play a large part in constructing a gender identity and through this interaction, masculinity is constantly changing and not fixed.  (Edley, 2001, pp.192-3). 

An example of how interaction shapes young masculinity and affects and is influenced by personal relationships is in DVD 1 of the course material.  Matt is interviewed aged 15, 18 and 19 and talks about masculine identity.  At 15 he discusses fighting, but says that he wouldn’t hit a girl because he has learnt this is wrong from discussion with his father.  He reinforces this view aged 18.  At 19 he talks about his brother thinking he’s hard and the relationship he has with his brother.  Much of the three conversations about masculine identity revolved around fighting and was clearly viewed by Matt from his experiences with his family and peers as being masculine behaviour. Social Constructionism  views gender as being only one factor in a person’s identity alongside other aspects of their identity such as class and ethnicity.  (Chapter 4, p.115).  The idea of masculinities (plural) rather than masculinity (singular was introduced by sociologist Bob Connell (1995).  For example, he refers to young masculinities or black masculinities, thus encompassing a social factor alongside gender as part of their identity.  A study by Frosch et al. shows that young men themselves are aware of different aspects of their identities that work alongside their gender identity, such as ethnicity  and class and identified that young masculinities are a part of diverse social contexts.  (Frosch et al., 2002, p. 258). Media and policies may also play a part in the construction of a gender identity, showing images or setting ideals for what masculine behaviour is expected to be.  It  may also affect societies view of masculinity as media and policy discourses construct young masculinity as a problem for both the society and young men themselves.  (Chapter 4, p.114).  In a study into young masculinity by Frosch et al. it was found that the young men that they talked to were aware of the negative images that the media portrayed around young masculinity.  Frosch et al. also found that young boys believed they should distance themselves from thing s that girls enjoyed doing, that masculinity involved being hard, good at sport and not concentrate on their education.  They also perceived some boys as being more masculine than others.  (Frosch et al., 2002, p.10). Gender identities are reflected in young men’s social and emotional lives and personal relationships.  Males are often seen as being emotionally inexpressive within their peer groups.  Their talk is unsupportive and they are pressured to behave in a particular way to define their manhood.  (Holland et al., 1998, pp12-13).  This view is reinforced in the evidence of a study by Mac an Ghaill, 1994.  The young men that they interviewed felt that they had difficulty in expressing their feelings and had learnt to hide these from each other.  Some also felt that intelligent conversation was limited to conversations with their female peers.  (Chapter 4, pp.130-131).  However, in contrast to these findings, some research has shown that young men have the capability to discuss their personal feelings if they are given the opportunity to do so.  Frosch et al. found that if an adult listened to them, then young men could illustrate emotional intelligence.  (Frosch et al., 2002, pp.256-257).  From personal experience as a Teaching Assistant and  a Youth and Community Worker,  I would agree with both pieces of research in different contexts. In front of their peers in school, young men almost make an act and a performance of acting a certain way in front of their peers, not bothering with their education and trying to look ’hard’ and as if they don’t care what people’s opinions of them is.  On seeing the same young men, out of school and away from their peers, as a Youth and Community Worker, I was able to develop deeper relationships with these young men and gained their trust enough for them to discuss their relationships, concerns and emotions with me.