Masculinity In American Culture

The reasons behind the traditions and expectations goes further back than just the 1800’s when Americans applied rituals to their daily lives. Religion also prompts the expectations and restraints that society places on itself. Gods and goddesses (depending on the religion) have a significant impact on people's lives as people tend to follow the rules set by their religious beliefs. The Kelsey Museum of Archaeology exhibit on women and gender in ancient Egypt depicts goddesses as queens, child bearers, protectors of the gods and some severed merely as characterless consorts to the gods, while the men tended to be gods. Traditionally, it is imperative that women assume an inferior role as opposed to men in a society that is governed by
Equally important as femininities, masculinity is socially constructed gender profiles that are categorized. Characterizing men in a specific category rather than equalizing them also diminishes them entirely by placing rigid expectations that are similar to that of societal views of women. Men are the reason for the continuous oppression on women and their acknowledgement and contribution will allow both genders to preserve their socially structured stereotypical roles in the society. Gender identity role continues to be a contradictory topic, especially when some men still have issues with the way women and men are being treated. As documented by Adyon Edwards in his article “It’s a Man’s World” (2015), a research program commissioned by a plan of over 4,000 adolescent children in different countries, including the United Kingdom, Rwanda, and India, found that: 83% of boys and 87% of girls in India and 67% of girls and 71% of boys in Rwanda agree with the statement ‘changing diapers, giving kids a bath and feeding kids are the mother’s responsibility’. More than 60% of participants agreed that ‘if resources are scarce, it is better to educate a boy instead of a girl’ and 65% of children in Rwanda and India agreed that ‘a woman should tolerate violence in order to keep her family together’ (pg.XX) The research was conducted by a few participants, but it does show how real and evident gender inequality is, especially in male dominated countries. Men have to empower and educate themselves to the idea that they can progress and relinquish the idea that they are subjugated to a specific role in society. The only way to prevent the continuation of power in the society is to deconstruct traditional masculinity and