Toxic Masculinity
Toxic Masculinity
Toxic masculinity manifests itself when patriarchal ideology has a negative impact on men. This can be as a result of pressures to outwardly perform masculinity which might result in psychological damage from not feeling willing to show emotions, or it oculd be stress caused by external causes like losing one's job and therefore no longer feeling like a provider and thus like a real man. Alternatively, it can be the damaging behaviours overperformed, such as aggressiveness, because one believes this is what it means to be a man.
“By far the worst thing we do to males — by making them feel they have to be hard — is that we leave them with very fragile egos.”
- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Patriarchy and patriarchal ideology can be destructive for men as well as for women. Hegemonic masculinity tells men that they must be strong, unemotional, and always in control. The pressure to fulfill this role can lead to a lot of psychological issues for men. An example of this can be seen in the prevalence of suicidal deaths in men in comparison to those in women: some studies show that men are four times more likely to commit suicide than women are. Research shows that the two biggest reasons for suicide in men are divorce and financial crisis. Both of these reasons are tied to a failure of fulfilling the hegemonic masculine role.
Three Behaviours of Toxic Masculinity
Suppressing emotions because they are seen as a sign of weakness.
Maintaining an appearance of hardness.
Using violence to give the impression of power.
Other forms of toxic masculinity could be seen in men trying to compensate for not reaching an unrealistic standard of masculinity by increasing their signs of manhood in other ways, such as excessive sexualization of women, or displays of anger.