HW2: Masculinity Ideology

Whenever I heard the word “macho” or even see a man who has a huge muscles, walks with pride and talks with a firm voice, the first thing that comes to my mind is the word STRONG or BRAVE. Some women idealize men with these characteristics because it makes them feel more secured and the chance of being protected is high compared to a man with a slim body. In the view of men, some felt envy because they also wanted to achieve a kind of body for they believe that it attracts more women. But what does a macho really means? Is it already imputed in men from the moment that they are born or it just develops? 

Macho is the exaggerated pride in masculinity, perceived as power, often coupled with a minimal sense of responsibility and disregard of consequences. According to the article Culture, Society and Masculinities, masculinity is regarded as a cultural construction. In this view, men's behavior is accounted for by the conceptions of masculinity that men internalize from their culture and that it varies by age, culture, life stage, historical era and others. This means that the macho image of a man is not imputed but it varies. The masculinity of a man is not by genes but by the influence of culture and others. The article also defined Masculinity Ideology as "an individual's internalization of cultural belief systems and attitudes toward masculinity and men's roles" (Fleck et al., 1993, p. 88). According to this definition, masculinity ideology varies as a function of differences in social, historical, political and cultural context. Fleck also pointed out the that despite the variety in masculinity ideologies, "there is a particular constellation of standards and expectations that individually and jointly have various kinds of negative concomitants," which is referred to as traditional masculinity ideology.

In my understanding of Fleck’s definition of masculinity ideology, a person comes up with different ideas on masculinity because of different beliefs towards cultural, social, political, and historical context. Every society has its own cultures, norms, and beliefs. The culture in Spain might be similar but not the same with the cultures in India. The difference between cultures is what distinguishes the ideologies of an individual towards the others. For example, Filipina women are conservative when it comes to clothes. When a woman is seen who dresses short dresses or skirts, some people perceived them as “prostitutes” but in America it does not matter because it is a liberated country. So when a Filipina go to America and wear such clothes, the feedback from the society might be a lot different from that of the Philippines. All of these happen because we have different beliefs which are the same in terms of our ideologies in masculinity. 

The article also declares that the aspects of masculinity ideology in a western culture include inhibition of emotional vulnerability; avoidance of feminine behavior and feminine activities, aggression, strength and toughness, dominance, providing for and protecting one's family and others while in a non western culture, Asian- American men did not perceive their masculinity in opposition to femininity. In fact, some Asian- American men were generating a more flexible conception of masculinity that involve caring characteristics such as being polite, obedient, nurturing in relationships, and willingness to do household chores. 

The articles also stated that in the Philippines, in terms of masculinity ideology, a prevailing tradition is that Filipino men are expected to be the ama ng tahanan (father of the home) or the economic providers in the home; and the satisfactory performance of this role is the ultimate indicator of a truly masculine male. Based on some surveys done, the two dominant images of the Filipino male is as a protector and dominator. The protector role is realized by getting married and males feel responsible for taking care of women. On the other hand in terms of being a dominator, it is seen through the societal expectation for males to be the pillar of the household and head of the family. It is also where the superiority of men to women comes wherein their decisions are much upheld. The use of violence also is more likely to occur to maintain this privileged position in society. That is why Filipino boys must be trained as early as possible so that they may be able to be good fathers in the future. Also, being responsible is one trait that female considers being masculine. 

Another thing mentioned in the article is that Filipino families nowadays are less patriarchal that was noted by social anthropologists to exist in Southeast Asian societies.

This manifests men being more respectful on women, being gentlemanly and tendency of placing women in high regard. This is evidenced in jokes and common sayings such as referring to the wife as boss or "kumander" (commander) or referring to Filipino men as "macho-machunurin sa asawa" a play on the word macho to mean "I am obedient to my wife. Overall, the predominant practice that male are the providers and the females are the light of the home still remains although there have been a change which views women equal to men. This is not to suggest that gender inequality does not exist in the Philippines as these are definitely experienced, especially in rural areas where many women are at a disadvantage in accessing educational and labor opportunities.