Differences in gay and heterosexual men’s emotional restriction through their femininity: an Irish study

ABSTRACT

Emotional expression plays a vital role in men’s mental health. However, emotionality is still perceived as a feminine response and its restriction is enmeshed in male identity. Gay men’s supposed relationship to femininity infers they are less emotionally restrictive. This paper offers evidence and theory that counters this. A quantitative study (n = 300) was undertaken on self identified heterosexual and gay adult men contacted through targeted social media websites. Research questions explored if there were differences in emotional restriction in gay and heterosexual men, and if stereotypical gender characteristics (masculinity, femininity) influence these variations. Constructs and corresponding scales measured conflicted gender roles, restricted emotionality and gender role scores. Findings revealed no statistical emotional restriction differences between gay and heterosexual men. However, there were significant differences in their gender roles. Specifically, heterosexual men’s emotional restriction was dictated by a combination of high masculinity and low femininity scores (which calculates a masculine category), and the avoidance of femininity suggested by low femininity scores. Gay men’s higher femininity scores and reduced frequency in the masculine category would (mistakenly) suggest lower emotional restriction scores. The findings suggest that gay men construe femininity differently to heterosexual men, affecting their emotional expression.

KEYWORDS:

• Sexual orientation
• gender roles
• emotional restriction

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

John McMahon

Dr. John McMahon is a trained psychotherapist at the School of Psychology, University College Dublin. A trained psychotherapist, his academic and professional interests include gender, sexuality, and emotional expression

Joan Tiernan

Dr. Joan Tiernan is a lecturer in Work & Organizational Psychology in the School of Psychology, University College Dublin. She is also Chair of UCD Human Research Ethics Committee-Humanities and Vice Chair UCD Research Ethics Committee

Geraldine Moane

Dr. Geraldine Moane is a former Senior Lecturer at University College Dublin (now retired)