89
See also: Harriet Martineau 26–27 ■ Judith Butler 56–61 ■ bell hooks 90–95 ■ Margaret Mead 298–99 ■
Adrienne Rich 304–09 ■ Christine Delphy 312–317 ■ Jeffrey Weeks 324–25 ■ Steven Seidman 326–31
SOCIAL INEQUALITIES
as a school or workplace, a
particular form of masculinity
will be seen as the “best” and
most effective way to be a man.
This idea lies behind Connell’s
concept of hegemonic masculinity,
which claims that in any time or
place, different forms of masculinity
are organized into a hierarchy.
The dominant form—seen as the
ideal masculinity and the one
that others will be judged against—
is the hegemonic form. It will
constitute that society’s idea of
“manliness” and those few men
who can embody this form of
masculinity will be “the most
honored and desired.”
Subordinate masculinity
Subordinated or marginalized
forms of masculinity are those
that deviate from the norm; men
espousing these suffer humiliation,
exclusion, and loss of privilege.
When the masculine role moves
toward a more “female” position (as
in homosexuality), there is a
corresponding loss of status and
power. In this way, the patriarchal
position aligns with the hegemonic
ideal in Western societies. As men
reap significant benefits from
maintaining dominance over
women, their general interest
and investment in patriarchy is
formidable—it is what gives them
social, cultural, and economic
control. The closer a man’s
masculinity is to the hegemonic
ideal, the more power he has.Practicing gender
Connell claims that the European/
American hegemonic form, which
is linked closely to the patriarchal
ideal of the powerful, aggressive,
unemotional male who will often
use violence to get his way, is
being extended across the world
through processes of globalization.
The media glamorizes the
hegemonic ideal through its
adulation of ruthless billionaire
entrepreneurs and fit, contact-
sports stars.
Women are complicit in
recognizing a hierarchy of
masculinities, according to
Connell. Their continued loyalty topatriarchal religions and romantic
narratives, and their perpetuation
of gender expectations of
children, sustains the power
of the patriarchal ideal and the
hegemonic masculinity associated
with it. By describing masculinity
within the terms of hegemony
or hierarchy, Connell grants it a
fluidity, which means that there
is an opportunity for change.
A move to establish a version of
masculinity that is open to equality
with women, she says, would
constitute a positive hegemony. ■Most men find it difficult to
be patriarchs... but they fear
letting go of the benefits.
bell hooksExclusion of homosexual desire
from the definition of masculinity
is, according to Connell in The Men
and the Boys, an important feature of
modern-day hegemonic masculinity.
R.W. Connell
R.W. Connell was born in
Australia in 1944 as Robert
William (“Bob”) Connell. A
transsexual woman, Connell
completed her transition late
in life and took the first name
of Raewyn. Educated in high
schools in Manly and North
Sydney, Connell went on to gain
degrees from the universities of
Melbourne and Sydney.
During the 1960s Connell
was an activist in the New Left.
She became one of the youngest
people to attain an academicchair when she was appointed
professor of sociology at
Macquarie University, New
South Wales, in 1976. Although
best known for her work on
the social construction of
masculinities, Connell has also
lectured extensively and written
on poverty, education, and the
northern hemisphere bias of
mainstream social science.Key works1987 Gender and Power
1995 Masculinities
2000 The Men and the Boys