What makes a man unmanly? The global concept of ‘unmanliness’
Abstract This paper presents the findings of a multi-national study that led to the development of a new analytical framework in masculinity research—the Global Concept of ‘Unmanliness’ (GCU). Drawing on three key theories—hegemonic masculinity, precarious manhood and masculinity threat, and emascul...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Springer Nature
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Humanities & Social Sciences Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-04667-5 |
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| author | Magdalena Żadkowska Tomasz Szlendak Radosław Kossakowski Natasza Kosakowska-Berezecka |
| author_facet | Magdalena Żadkowska Tomasz Szlendak Radosław Kossakowski Natasza Kosakowska-Berezecka |
| author_sort | Magdalena Żadkowska |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract This paper presents the findings of a multi-national study that led to the development of a new analytical framework in masculinity research—the Global Concept of ‘Unmanliness’ (GCU). Drawing on three key theories—hegemonic masculinity, precarious manhood and masculinity threat, and emasculation—we conducted an innovative study across 15 countries (selected from an initial pool of 62) to examine cultural perceptions of ‘unmanliness.’ Participants provided open-ended responses to identify traits and behaviors considered unmanly within their cultural contexts. By analyzing common themes expressed by young men, we propose the Global Concept of ‘Unmanliness’ as a framework for understanding how societies define and enforce masculinity norms. Furthermore, comparing these findings with the Global Gender Gap Index (GGGI) revealed a key distinction in how ‘unmanliness’ is characterized across different levels of gender emancipation. In countries with high GGGI rankings (e.g., Norway, Ireland, Germany), ‘unmanliness’ is more often associated with physical traits and behaviors linked to femininity (e.g., clothing, makeup). Conversely, in countries with low GGGI rankings (e.g., Pakistan, Morocco, Nigeria), it is more commonly defined by acts such as violence against women. Our study highlights how cultural and structural gender dynamics shape the boundaries of masculinity and offers a new lens for cross-cultural research on gender norms. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-19951ea426324f4ebcaef4e88872d48c |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2662-9992 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Springer Nature |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Humanities & Social Sciences Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-19951ea426324f4ebcaef4e88872d48c2025-08-20T03:05:53ZengSpringer NatureHumanities & Social Sciences Communications2662-99922025-03-0112111010.1057/s41599-025-04667-5What makes a man unmanly? The global concept of ‘unmanliness’Magdalena Żadkowska0Tomasz Szlendak1Radosław Kossakowski2Natasza Kosakowska-Berezecka3Institute of Sociology, University of GdanskPhilosophy & Social Sciences Department, Nicolaus Copernicus UniversityInstitute of Sociology, University of GdanskInstitute of Psychology, University of GdanskAbstract This paper presents the findings of a multi-national study that led to the development of a new analytical framework in masculinity research—the Global Concept of ‘Unmanliness’ (GCU). Drawing on three key theories—hegemonic masculinity, precarious manhood and masculinity threat, and emasculation—we conducted an innovative study across 15 countries (selected from an initial pool of 62) to examine cultural perceptions of ‘unmanliness.’ Participants provided open-ended responses to identify traits and behaviors considered unmanly within their cultural contexts. By analyzing common themes expressed by young men, we propose the Global Concept of ‘Unmanliness’ as a framework for understanding how societies define and enforce masculinity norms. Furthermore, comparing these findings with the Global Gender Gap Index (GGGI) revealed a key distinction in how ‘unmanliness’ is characterized across different levels of gender emancipation. In countries with high GGGI rankings (e.g., Norway, Ireland, Germany), ‘unmanliness’ is more often associated with physical traits and behaviors linked to femininity (e.g., clothing, makeup). Conversely, in countries with low GGGI rankings (e.g., Pakistan, Morocco, Nigeria), it is more commonly defined by acts such as violence against women. Our study highlights how cultural and structural gender dynamics shape the boundaries of masculinity and offers a new lens for cross-cultural research on gender norms.https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-04667-5 |
| spellingShingle | Magdalena Żadkowska Tomasz Szlendak Radosław Kossakowski Natasza Kosakowska-Berezecka What makes a man unmanly? The global concept of ‘unmanliness’ Humanities & Social Sciences Communications |
| title | What makes a man unmanly? The global concept of ‘unmanliness’ |
| title_full | What makes a man unmanly? The global concept of ‘unmanliness’ |
| title_fullStr | What makes a man unmanly? The global concept of ‘unmanliness’ |
| title_full_unstemmed | What makes a man unmanly? The global concept of ‘unmanliness’ |
| title_short | What makes a man unmanly? The global concept of ‘unmanliness’ |
| title_sort | what makes a man unmanly the global concept of unmanliness |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-04667-5 |
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