Gender and Sexuality Commons^™

Embodied Leadership And Conditional Legitimacy: Critically Conscious Male Leaders Navigating Systems Of Power, Luis A. Legaspi

Dissertations

Leadership is not a neutral concept; it is shaped by overlapping systems of power, including empire, whiteness, neoliberal capitalism, and cisheteropatriarchy. These interlocking systems influence how leadership is defined, recognized, and legitimized, often privileging particular identities and forms of authority. The persistent underrepresentation of people of color, women, and queer individuals in positions of leadership reflects how dominant conceptions of leadership remain closely aligned with historically entrenched structures of power.

This critical narrative inquiry study examines how men, who disproportionately occupy positions of social and institutional authority, make meaning of masculinity, power, and leadership within these systems. Drawing on relational …

Gender As The Moral Framework Of War: Religious Discourse In Wartime Russia, Olga Vlasova Dr., Ulviyya Khalilova

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article explores how wartime religious discourse constructs the moral framework of war through gender rhetoric. Based on the critical discourse analysis of wartime public statements by Russian Orthodox and Muslim religious leaders (2022-2026), the study shows how gender can be used as a framework through which violence becomes meaningful and tolerable. It highlights that the discourse of masculinity provides precisely those moral categories (duty, sacrifice, and protection) which depict participation in war as a moral obligation. At the same time, femininity is primarily associated with the reproduction of social order through care, support, and motherhood, while remaining outside the …

Social Media, Masculine Body Ideals, And The Drive For Muscularity: A Serial Mediation Model Across Sexual Identities, Sean P. Mcdaniel

Theses and Dissertations

Body image concerns among men are increasingly prevalent yet remain understudied compared to women’s experiences. Drawing on objectification theory, the present study examines the relationship between social media influence and men’s drive for muscularity through a serial mediation model. Specifically, the present study investigates whether the internalization of masculine body ideals and engagement in body surveillance behaviors mediate the link between social media influence and the drive for muscularity. Furthermore, the present study model attempts to explore how these processes differ across sexual identities, given evidence that sexual minority men face distinct sociocultural pressures regarding appearance. Adult male-identifying social media …

The Sense-Making Of Race, Gender, And Masculinity In College Men Of Color: A Critical Race-Grounded Theory Approach, Leon Phú Strayer

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Literature on Men of Color in college has highlighted the disparate retention, persistence, and graduation rates of college Men of Color when compared to their female counterparts or White male peers. As a contribution to the scholarly research on Men of Color, this qualitative critical race-grounded theory study explored this phenomenon and made further inquiry about the nuanced and unique lives of Men of Color attending a Hispanic-serving institution (HSI). This research involved nine Men of Color undergraduate students who attended an HSI in Southern California who collaborated and coconstructed knowledge during the study. The collaborators, or participants, contributed to …

The Masculine Way, Jessica Asuquo

be Still

This painting was conceptualized after a particularly impactful patient visit. During the visit, the patient described a traumatic event in greater detail, stating that the doctor and I were the first people he had ever spoken to about the event.

I felt both honored and disheartened by this statement. I was honored that this man trusted us with this knowledge. Still, I was immensely sad that he dealt with the trauma of this event alone for decades. I believe he released some of the grief, pain, anger, fear, and hurt when he shared his burden with us, and I will …

Hidden Wounds And Secret Scars: The Post-World War Ii Western As A Cinema Of Trauma, Maggie Sue Scanlan

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

In this project, I consider the post-WWII Western film as a site that represents and navigates war traumatized American masculinity. Through a discussion of the significance of the Western as a national myth that speaks directly to American masculinity and nation-building through individual violence, I situate the genre as an ideal vehicle to reframe war traumatized masculinity and analyze seven Westerns through a threefold analysis: metaphoric (a cinema of trauma), psychoanalytic (the traumatic gaze), and therapeutic (recovery and reintegration). In Chapter One, I track anxieties and preoccupations signaling the cultural concern with war trauma in genres more routinely associated with …

That Way: An Examination Of Male Relationships In Film During The Hays Code, Jane Knudsen

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

The Hays Code (1934-1968) influenced the construct of United States masculinity and the discourse surrounding masculine presentation between the 1920s to the 1960s. The Hays Code and World War II affected the culture surrounding male/male relationships in the United States. Previous research done by David Lugowski (1999) and Jeffrey Suzik (1999) shows that both World Wars led to crises of masculinity in which the hegemonic ideal of masculinity was restructured to establish men as providers and warriors, and Code-era films reflected the discourse. To understand the gender roles in the 20^th century, I analyzed the Hays code, male bonds, …

Masculinity On The Margins: Boundary Work Among Immobile Fathers In Indonesia’S Transnational Families, Andy Scott Chang

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Scholars underline the persistence of gender disparities in the household division of labor. However, it remains understudied how working-class men manage family life amid the physical absence of breadwinning women. Drawing on 54 in-depth interviews and over 22 months of fieldwork in Indonesia, this article investigates how non-migrant fathers navigate conjugal and paternal responsibilities in families headed by migrant mothers. I argue that the reproduction of mother-away transnational families hinges on a refashioning of male conduct for the accomplishment of immobile fatherhood — a model of parenthood developed by non-migrant fathers to accommodate the migration of mothers. I examine the …

“A Real Man . . .”: Deconstructing Machismo Heteronormative Standards With K–12 Latino Male Educators Through Dialogic Spaces, Mario Echeverria

Dissertations

In a K–12 educational landscape where 75% of educators are white women, recruitment of Latino male educators is crucial for diversification, yet these educators represent just 2% of the teaching workforce in the United States (NCES, 2020). These educators grapple with a layered sense of identity as they navigate expectations of hegemonic masculinity and machismo norms that dictate their roles as disciplinarians and saviors, especially for young boys of color (Brockenbrough, 2018; Lara & Fránquiz, 2015; Martino & Kehler, 2006; Mills et al., 2004; Singh, 2021). Unfortunately, Latino male educators leave the profession at twice the rate of their Latina …

Masculinity And Political Discourse: A Critical Analysis Of European Leaders, Taylor R. Haycock

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This project examines how European leaders of autocratic and democratic nations engage with masculinity discourses in their public speeches. Do authoritarian leaders use masculinity in a different way than democratic leaders? I answer this question by completing a critical discourse analysis of speeches from Vladimir Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Boris Johnson, and Emmanuel Macron, the leaders of Russia, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and France, respectively. The speeches were publicized from July 2019 to September 2022, when all four leaders were simultaneously in office. I found that a similar rhetorical strategy focusing on dominance and strength was used across regime types …

Captain America: The Delicate Masculinity Of An American Icon, Lauren Rezac

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

What makes a good man? For this research, I examine the ways that Captain America, also known as Steve Rogers, portrays masculinity in the highest grossing movie franchise of all time — The Marvel Cinematic Universe. I propose that the ways in which an American icon who represents the ideal man behaves reflects larger cultural expectations of masculinity, specifically the expectations for white men. In addition to holding up a mirror to society’s expectations for a ‘good man’, the social messaging about masculinity in these films should be examined to understand what American men of every generation are idolizing. I …

The Dilemma Of Socrates’ Position: Interview Methods And Feminist Empirical Bioethics, Michiel De Proost

The Qualitative Report

There is a growing body of bioethics research that addresses the importance of adapting empirical, predominantly qualitative, methods to generate debate on ethical arguments. However, there is an absence of illustrative work examining how this could be realised from a feminist perspective. This article, seeking to address the research gap, examines interview methods through a reflexive lens. Drawing on the doctoral research I conducted through interviews with women who were interested in social egg freezing (i.e., healthy women freezing their eggs in anticipation of future infertility), I describe how I encountered a dilemma because of my gendered positionality and the …

Son Otros Tiempos: Generational Experiences Of Male Friendships Amongst Mexican And Mexican American Men, Marisela Rodríguez Molina

Dissertations and Theses

Culturally specific work with Latinx men has also discussed the way Latinx masculinities are being redefined by younger generations. Grounded in Chicana Feminist epistemologies, I use Gloria Anzaldua's borderlands framework to analyze data from 20 interviews with sons and their father figures in understanding experience of masculinities within the context of male friendships. Differences between father's and son's experiences can be attributed to social context in which men are socialized and their borderlands experiences. Findings illustrate how understandings of masculinities represent a melding of cultural values between the dominant individualistic perspective in the U.S. and the collectivist perspective from men's …

Belaytionships Before Bros: Qualitative Analysis Of Gender Identity And Climbing, Samuel G. Crawford

Graduate Research Posters

Background. Sociological study of queer representation in sports has historically focused on gender within team sports, but less is known about these dynamics in more individual-oriented sports like climbing. Sociological scholarship on these dynamics in climbing has been relatively sparse. More mainstream analyses of queer issues in sports generally could potentially help examine these concepts. However, my experiences as a climber and former industry professional led me to believe that a more targeted qualitative sociological approach would provide valuable insight and perspective, particularly regarding this sports comparison.

Methods. This analysis draws upon ethnographic observation of a climbing gym in the …

Removing The Masc: Dismantling Gendered Occupations Through Social Work Education, Austin M. Raines

DSW Capstone Projects

The “Masculine mystique” refers to a psychological mask that men wear, enabling them to maintain power and distance themselves from traits associated with femininity” (Kahn, 2009, p. 283). This capstone project seeks to solve the Social Work Grand Challenge of improving the lives that hegemonic masculinity harms and limits. It emphasizes the relationship between the two areas of life (work-home), once thought to exist in different realms but are today more interwoven than ever (Lin & Burgard, 2018; Sok et al., 2014). Men have higher rates of traumatic injuries and exposure to significant physical risks, violence hazards, and stricter normative …

Badges And Blush: Gender Expression In Policework, Aubrey Powell

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Gender roles are a social construct ingrained in American culture. Stemming from this problem is the femininity versus competency bind. This means that women in the workplace are seen as either feminine or competent, but never both. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the perceived deficit is due to gender expression or biological sex. Additionally, the project examined the masculine of policework and the neutral profession of teaching. Participants were assigned to one of four conditions (feminine woman, masculine woman, feminine man, and masculine man) in which they rated a potential hire for a police precinct or …

From A Boy To A Leader, Alejandro Zayas

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The following autoethnographic dissertation examines my personal experiences of trauma, abuse, and violence. Drawing on journals, memories, and artifacts from my life, I use self-reflection to illustrate the impacts of trauma on my childhood and adulthood. My traumatic experiences of sexual abuse, childhood violence, and emotional abuse are situated within broader sociocultural contexts of masculinity, Hispanic culture, and social norms. This study illuminates possibilities for healing and transformation for myself and others with shared traumatic backgrounds. It calls for trauma-informed education, masculinity, and resiliency. Evocatively sharing my traumatic life events provides an accessible window into often silenced experiences, bearing witness …

Climbing The Masculine Hierarchy: Examining Constructions Of Masculinity Through Incel Identities, Alyssa Jewel Davis

All Theses

In a gender-segregated digital space known as the Manosphere, a group of men calling themselves “Incels,” or involuntary celibates, express feelings of hostility and hatred towards women. Incels hold a low position on a masculine hierarchy where the men who hold the most power in society are those who have access to women’s emotional and sexual services. Incels are characterized by feelings of entitlement to women’s services and aggrievement by their inability to access them. As a result, they often appear to fantasize about or engage in acts of violence to compensate for their lack of masculine privilege. However, there …

#Notallmen And #Metoo: Investigating Perceptions Of Masculine Victimhood And Constructions Of Masculinity In The #Metoo Era, Caitlin Segraves

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Twitter users all over the world use the hashtag, #MeToo, to show support, solidarity, and to share their own stories of sexual harassment and/or violence. #MeToo, a movement created by Tarana Burke and promoted by Alyssa Milano’s use of the hashtag reignited a global conversation about the prominence of sexual violence in women’s lives, a topic of discussion in prior feminist movements, as well. #MeToo has brought about a renewed interest in addressing sexual violence and rape culture in the U.S. and abroad. In response to growing reports of sexual violence, men’s rights activists have voiced an increased concern for …

The Effects Of Alcohol Intoxication And Threats To Masculinity On Engagement In Sexual Aggression: Results From A Web-Based Survey Design And Alcohol Administration Study, Tiffany Lynn Marcantonio

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background: Research examining the combined effects of men’s alcohol consumption and perceptions of their masculinity as precarious (e.g., viewing masculinity as easily threatened) on sexual aggression (SA) is lacking. The goal of this dissertation study was to assess if alcohol consumption and precarious masculinity are related to men’s SA via a web-administered survey (Study 1) and an in-person alcohol administration experiment (Study 2).

Methodology: In Study 1, two samples of young adult men (aged 18-30) were collected, 1) a community sample of 492 men and 2) a college sample of 478 men, to complete a 20-minute survey; participants answered questions …

Exploring Masculinity And Self-Compassion, Sarelle Creesy

Community Engagement Student Work

This workshop taught self-compassion as a tool to mitigate effects of toxic masculinity on male youth. Males ages 16-26 were given a definition of toxic masculinity and reviewed how expectations of it are taught and reinforced through Harro’s Cycle of Socialization (2010). They then learned about Kristin Neff’s theory of self-compassion. Participants then reflected on one instance of toxic masculinity that they had faced before, either as a perpetrator or a victim of it, using one chosen element of self-compassion. One key finding included 100% of participants agreeing they could see themselves using self-compassion when facing pressures of masculinity. In …

Catholic Seminarians On “Real Men”, Sexuality, And Essential Male Inclusivity., Medora W. Barnes

2022 Faculty Bibliography

This paper is based on an empirical study using in-depth qualitative interviews that examines how Roman Catholic undergraduate seminarians in the United States understand gender, sexuality and masculinity. The findings describe how seminarians reject interactionist and social constructionist models of gender, and rely on a strict biological based model where sex/gender are seen as a unified concept. This leads them to adopt an “essential male inclusivity”, where they argue that all people assigned male at birth have equal claim to “manhood”, which eases pressures on them to act in gender normative ways. The social-psychological and identity-based motivations of these beliefs …

Stay-At-Home Fathers: What Is Their Life Really Like? An Intimate Portrayal, Christi Ann Hosking

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Reinforced by years of gender stereotypes is modern societies’ definition of masculinity, which has long been characterized by breadwinning and providing. Current literature has observed the growing trend which finds an increasing number of men engaged in the role of caregiver and the dynamic change in the home-work balance. Only a few studies looked at what life is like for a stay-at-home father and even fewer have allowed these fathers a unique voice for sharing their story. The purpose of this study was to gain an in-depth understanding of what day to day life was really like as a stay-at-home …

Changing Perceptions Of Masculinity And Femininity In America?: Revisiting The Bem Sex-Role Inventory, Sarah Ann Bell

Honors Theses and Capstones

This study replicated previous research regarding college students’ perceptions of personality and character traits as “masculine”, “feminine”, or “neutral .” The sample consisted of 56 undergraduate students recruited from introductory sociology classes at a public university in New England. Participants completed online surveys where they ranked how desirable it is in American society for a man or for a woman to possess each of 60 traits used in the Bem Sex-Role Inventory. While participants ranked some traits as less gendered than 20 years ago, aligning with previous research, they ranked other traits as more gendered than those traits had previously …

Screening For Our Fathers: Representations Of Native American Masculinity In American Film, Jeromy Duane Miller

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this work, I examine representation of Native American masculinity in the American film industry. The American film industry began just over a century ago, and one of its earliest subjects was the Native American. Throughout its history, the American film industry has maintained a steady trajectory of exploitation and erasure of Native American men and their subsequent masculine qualities. While there are notable historical outliers and critical exceptions in the 21st century, Native American men in film have been continually reduced to corpses, devoid of significant social presence, and denied meaningful explorations of their sexuality and interpersonal identity. The …

Eat Like A White Man: Meat-Eating, Masculinity, And Neo-Colonialism, Saphronia Carson

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

Gender Studies scholarship has argued that one significant way contemporary hegemonic masculinities are constructed and reinforced is through meat consumption. Conversely, plant-based diets such as veganism and vegetarianism are considered feminine. This paper builds on an emerging body of research that traces this gendering of meat and plant-based diets to British colonialism in India. Drawing on ecofeminist and postcolonial theory, it shows how British colonizers feminized Indian dietary cultures, specifically Hindu vegetarian diets, to reinforce their own sense of masculinity. Through critical analyses of marketing and media, it demonstrates how these colonial gendered food images continue to populate contemporary imaginations. …

The Female Experience In Law Enforcement, Matia Martz

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The following research was conducted to achieve a better understanding of what issues women face when entering the career field of law enforcement, and how to better educate the projected audience, whether that be a member of law enforcement or a future female recruit, in these issues. Outside of personal experiences from the author, this research will be done via literature review and conclude with what future research can do to aid in this field. The following passages will cover career challenges that women have faced, how gender can affect one’s perceived ability to work in law enforcement, how different …

External Homophobia And Outness In Gay Men., Thomas Charles Isaak Jr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Prior studies regarding outness among gay men have often focused on internalized homophobia as a barrier to coming out for gay men, while less emphasis has been placed on external homophobia. Drawing upon social construction theory and Connell’s hierarchy of masculinity, I utilize data from the 2010 Social Justice Sexuality Project to complete an ordinary least square regression to examine the impact of external homophobia on the level of outness among the 987 gay men in this study. In this study, I find that gay men who were exposed to external homophobia reported decreased levels of outness. Further, I find …

“Is My Package Big Enough?”: Emerging Asian-American Men And Masculinity, Corinne Tam

SURF Posters and Papers

As many young adults now encounter “emerging adulthood,” a critical period of identity formation (Arnett 2000), the models of masculinity that men use to guide their transition into manhood during this life stage have yet to be investigated. Connell (2000) illustrates a “flexible, calculative, egocentric” masculinity as hegemonic today; however, as intersectional theory indicates, the means to achieving dominant cultural models are complicated by the relation between our diversity of identities and accessibility to resources (Crenshaw 1990). Stereotypes of Asian men being especially feminine reveal the unique position they hold to hegemonic masculinity. This research project asks, How do emerging …

Traditional Latinx Gender Role Norms And Exposure To Sexual Health Programming For Latinx Men Who Have Sex With Men (Lmsm), Austin Connor Eklund

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Latinx men who have sex with men (LMSM) are at significantly greater risk for HIV infection than their non-Latinx peers. One important way of helping prevent the spread of HIV is exposing vulnerable populations to HIV prevention programming. Little is known about what factors predict exposure to HIV prevention programming for LMSM. Given extant links between traditional masculine gender role norms and health outcomes, this study sought to examine possible relations between constructs of machismo, caballerismo, and heterosexual self-presentation, along with demographic covariates, and exposure to HIV prevention programming among LMSM. Among the 530 LMSM in our sample, 89% reported …