Interdisciplinary Studies On Masculinity

Gender Studies is an interdisciplinary field that focuses on the multifaceted interaction of gender with other identity markers for example race, ethnicity, sexuality, nation, and religion. Femininity and masculinity are such a basic form of social organization that the operation often passes unnoticed. Feminist scholarship shows that traditional categories used for social analysis and their associated interpretive approaches frequently reinforce gender hierarchies and inequalities

Interdisciplinary study came forth in reaction to the partial answers to social problems provided by the disciplines. This looks at concepts of gender and power, gender and the body, and gender and knowledge through a sequence of topics such as freedom and liberty,

There is a widespread debate about how kids develop gender identities. The nature side of the debate argues that masculinity is inextricably linked with the male body. In this view, masculinity is associated with the biological male sex and having male genitalia, for example is regarded as a key aspect of masculinity.

However some have suggested that while masculinity may be influenced by biological factors, it is also culturally constructed. Proponents of this view argue women can become men hormonally and physically and that many aspects that are assumed to be natural are linguistically and therefore culturally driven. The nurture side of the debate, it is argued that masculinity does not have a single source of origin or creator such as the media, certain institutions, or certain groups of people. While the military, for instance has its own vested interest in constructing and promoting a specific form of masculinity, it does not build it from scratch and masculinity has influenced the creation of the military in the first place. Facial hair has been linked to masculinity through language, in such forms as stories about boys becoming men when they start to

Recently many 'Man Laws ' and similar masculinist manifestos have been published, as a way for men to state their masculinity. Although many of these rules are offered in a amusing fashion, they attempt to describe masculinity, and point out that proper gender is taught and performed.

The hierarchy of masculinities among men exist mainly in a dichotomy of homosexual to heterosexual males and explains that, our society makes use of the male heterosexual-homosexual dichotomy as a fundamental symbol for all the rankings of masculinity, for the division on any ground between males who are "real men" and have command, and males who are not. The saying "you 're so gay" indicates that one is devoid of masculinity, rather than being sexually attracted to members of the same sex.

PROBLEM STATEMENT AND OBJECTIVES

Why do men strive hard to accomplish this physically strong aggressive masculine persona? Is it a feeling of dissatisfaction and insecurity that makes men so compelled to grasp onto the masculine ideals. To understand therefore, why the idea of masculinity is pressurizing to some men.

OBJECTIVES:

1. To define and study the concept of