Manliga brytare och maskulinitetskonstruktion

Abstract

Robertsson, H (2003). Men in non-traditional occupations and the construction of masculinity. Nordisk Psykologi, 55, 155–174

In a project aiming to enhance men's knowledge and awareness of sex inequality and encourage men to participate in the work for equal opportunities, a discussion group was formed. The six members of the group were all men and worked in female dominated occupations. Sessions were arranged ten times during a year and the discussions lasted three hours. The men discussed masculinity and their experiences of being men in female dominated occupations. The gender atypical situation revealed how the gender power system works and how masculinity is constructed. They realised that the gender system is constructed and reconstructed constantly and creates subordination of women but also subordination of men in a male hierarchy. The relations between men are characterised by alliance, domination and subordination in relation to what has been named the hegemonic masculinity. The men who cross over into a female-dominated occupation upset gender assumptions and can encounter prejudices. However, men generally encounter structural advantages in female dominated occupations as an effect of gender relations and a gender system built on male norms. Male norms are created through homosocial processes and homophobia in relation to a hegemonic masculinity. The discussion group were a good strategy to bring knowledge about the gender system and the construction of masculinities. The subordinated position in relation to a hegemonic is however a disadvantage if you want to change the system, because hegemonic masculinity is resistant to changes in the gender power system and preserves traditional sex roles.