Identity, Inequality, and the Making of Men and Boys in Crisis

• In Event: Sociology of Sex and Gender Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 10. Masculinities: Crisis, Politics, and Transition

Abstract

The claim that boys are struggling and masculinity is fragile is paradoxical against the backdrop of a persistent gender wage gap and male dominance in many areas of social, economic, and political life. Yet, mainstream media have long circulated this idea. In this study, I investigate how the crisis of boys and men is constructed and curated. What kinds of data and arguments evidence these claims, and are these claims empirical or ideological? To answer these questions, I draw on the social problem construction, intersectionality, and masculinities literatures to analyze articles from highly subscribed newspapers and magazines from the past decade in the U.S. My results indicate that the crisis consists of multiple, time-varying phenomena that impact distinct social groups. Bundling these phenomena together as a crisis of masculinity works to obscure structural realities and reinforce gender hierarchies. Unraveling this bundle provides a starting point for developing targeted, structural solutions to real dangers of our time, including online political radicalization and gun violence.

Author

• Eliza Mahoney, Cornell University