What makes a man a “real man”?: Perspectives regarding masculinities and gender roles among young men in Turkey

ABSTRACT

Analyzing 5 focus group interviews with 46 college-going men (18–25 years), this qualitative study specifically explores perspectives of young Turkish men about meanings and conceptualizations of masculinities and gender roles. Our study finds that they viewed masculinity as demonstrating and maintaining superior, tough, self-sufficient, exteriors. Homosocial practices, including sexual objectification, competition, and homophobia, are important for the maintenance of male dominance and masculinity. Our respondents felt that men should avoid housework so as not to be identified as feminine or ridiculed by their families or peers. In this qualitative study, we illustrate how masculinities and gender roles are shaped among college-going young men with specific examples from the interviews. The study revealed that, societal pressure stemming from cultural traditions and Islam has a significant influence on these men’s understanding of acceptable gender roles and masculinity. Based on these findings, we propose strategies to reformulate a healthy gender identity and to support young men at individual, community, and societal levels.

ABSTRACT İN TURKİSH

Üniversiteye devam eden 46 erkekle (18–25 yaş arası) beş odak grup görüşmesini inceleyen bu nitel çalışma, özellikle genç Türk erkeklerinin, erkekliklerin ve cinsiyet rollerinin anlamları ve kavramsallaştırılması hakkındaki bakış açılarını incelemeye odaklanmaktadır. Çalışmamızda, katılımcılar erkekliği üstün, güçlü, kendi kendine yeten özelliklerin gösterilmesi ve sürdürülmesi olarak görüyorlardı. Cinsel nesneleşme, rekabet ve homofobi içeren homososyal etkileşimler, erkek egemenliğinin ve erkekliğin korunması onlar için önemliydi. Katılımcılarımız, aileleri veya akranları tarafından kadınsı olarak tanımlanmamak ve alay edilmemek için erkeklerin ev işlerinden kaçınmaları gerektiğini düşünüyordu. Bu nitel araştırmada, odak grup görüşmelerinden belirli örneklerle üniversiteye giden genç erkekler arasında erkekliklerin ve toplumsal cinsiyet rollerinin nasıl şekillendiğini gösteriyoruz. Çalışmamız, kültürel geleneklerden ve İslam’dan kaynaklanan toplumsal baskının, bu erkeklerin kabul edilebilir cinsiyet rolleri ve erkeklik anlayışları üzerinde önemli bir etkisi olduğunu ortaya koymaktadır. Bu bulgulara dayanarak, sağlıklı bir toplumsal cinsiyet kimliğini yeniden biçimlendirmek ve genç erkekleri birey, topluluk ve toplumsal düzeylerde desteklemek için stratejiler öneriyoruz.

KEYWORDS:

• Masculinity
• gender roles
• manhood
• culture
• identity

KEYWORDS:

• Erkeklik
• toplumsal cinsiyet rolleri
• erkeklik
• kültür
• kimlik

Acknowledgements

We acknowledge Prof. Nancy Woods, Prof. Jon Conte and Assoc. Prof. Shawn Elmore for invaluable assistance and guidance with the study design and data analysis. We would like to thank to Dr. Shih-Yin Lin for completing the consistency check in data analysis procedure and Dr. Bilal Kerman for verifying the accuracy of translations of the transcripts. We also sincerely thank to the men who shared their thoughts and beliefs with us. We would like to express thanks to the editors and the reviewers for their helpful comments.

Notes on contributors

Kader TEKKAS KERMAN, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of Public Health Nursing at the Koc University School of Nursing in Istanbul, Turkey. Her studies focus on men and masculinities research, specifically on developing a program to promote gender equality among young Turkish men and on prevention of domestic violence in Turkey. To achieve these goals, she collaborates with international and national non-governmental organizations. Currently, she is working on a project to assess and promote men’s physical and sexual health.

Patricia BETRUS, Ph.D., is an associate professor emerita of Psychosocial and Community Health Nursing at the University of Washington. Her studies focus on research and theory of violent and aggressive behaviors. She has taught “Issues in Violence and Aggression for Health Professionals,” a course designed to challenge students to clarify beliefs and values related to topics such as homicide, and domestic violence. She has previously worked on projects on depression in women who have experienced violence, either in childhood or as young adults.

ORCID

Kader Tekkas Kerman http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8998-4410

Notes

1 Atlas-ti is a software program used in qualitative data analysis. The purpose of ATLAS.ti is to help researchers discover and systematically analyse unstructured data.

Additional information

Funding

This work supported by University of Washington School of Nursing the Hester McLaws Scholarship.