Gender Roles and Power: How They Fit Together

 I would like to discuss, "Tough Guise 2: Violence, Manhood, & American Culture," which is about the things men have to do and be in order to show how masculine they are in our society. It challenges the idea of what it means to be a real man by looking at violence and how it is mostly perpetuated by men who would be seen as masculine, or not masculine enough. For example, a masculine man has to put on a disguise of being stoic, mean, tough, and hardened in order to be respected in society and his peer group in all settings. Take a shrewd businessperson for example.

What image comes to mind when you think of a person of this caliber? Usually, it’s a middle-aged man, possibly in his 50s or 60s in a suit.  He appears stoic, shows confidence, is direct, is strong, and capable.  He may display mannerisms in a photo like below:

 

All of these descriptions fit within the masculine ideology and might display signs of the repressive power dynamic as described by Michel Focault. This is the same power that helps reinforce masculinity. 

Ford,  the popular car manufacturer, has a motto which is, "Built Ford Tough" and boasts that they have been the best-selling truck for 45 years in a row.  When you think about that type of vehicle, we imagine the owner of said vehicle is a man who works in construction, or some sort of manual labor, which are seen as very masculine jobs. 

On the other hand, there is an opposite side to masculinity, and that is feminity. It is the Yin to masculine's yang. Feminity is seen as nurturing, caring, loving and supportive.  While masculinity just "gets things done", femininity approaches the task in, a more gentle, and diplomatic way of handling things.

In gender studies, normative power can be taken as going along to get along, which is expected of a person with masculine or feminine traits. Depending on the circumstance, a masculine or feminine person will go along to get along in order to maintain their masculinity/ feminity. Take India for example. According to The Print, an Indian digital newspaper, "a total of 31,677  rape cases were registered across India in 2021." Women are often forced into a blame-the-victim mentality because they are seen as second-class citizens. As a result, both men and women take a normative approach to rape when it happens. You could also take a boy's locker room setting as depicted in this public service announcement:

 

The boy with the phone and the boy with the towel are going along to get along as the bully harasses the smaller team member.  Taking a normative approach to these things can result in school incidents and an increase of workplace shootings. 

What is the solution?  I believe a strong and full understanding of  Focault's interpretation of power is needed to navigate your way through our culture, be it through gender studies, or life in general.