Assignment on

Masculinity and Femininity

Course Name: Organizational Behavior

Course Code: 303

Submitted To

Md. Kowsar Hamid

Associate Professor

Department of Accounting

University of Chittagong

Submitted By

Toshib Dutta

ID: 18301115

Session: 2017-18

Department of Accounting

University of Chittagong

Submission Date: 8 June,2022

The creation of types of humans is decided by birth, but their roles and personality traits depend
on many factors. Some are influenced by gender, some are biologically affected, and many are
set by society as rules and norms in the name of beliefs, culture, and society.
Gender roles in society means how we’re expected to act, speak, dress, groom, and conduct
ourselves based upon our assigned sex. For example, girls and women are generally expected to
dress in typically feminine ways and be polite, accommodating, and nurturing. Men are generally
expected to be strong, aggressive, and bold.

Every society, ethnic group, and culture has gender role expectations, but they can be very
different from group to group. They can also change in the same society over time. Many
societies assign sharply distinguished roles to men and women. Personality differences, as well
as physical differences, between men and women are used to justify these different roles.

Gender identities are often naturalized, that is, they rely on a notion of biological difference.
The constructions of gender identity are based on stereotypes that fall within the range of
normative femininities and masculinities.

Masculinity and Femininity

Geert Hofstede, a social psychologist, was one of the first people to define cultures by gendered
traits. His theory says that cultures can be categorized by gender based on how they stress the
balance between individual achievement and social nurturing. Moreover, Hofstede says that
people within societies often take on gender roles that are prescribed by whether a society is
masculine or feminine.

According to Hofstede, a masculine culture or masculine society is one that stresses different
expectations for men and women. In a masculine culture, men are expected to be assertive,
competitive, and focused on material success. Women are expected to be nurturing and focused
on people and quality of life. In contrast, Hofstede says a feminine culture or feminine society is
one where gender roles are more fluid. Both men and women are expected to be nurturing and
focused on people and quality of life.

Masculinity stands for a society in which social gender roles are clearly distinct where men are
supposed to be assertive, tough, and focused on material success and women are supposed to be
more modest, tender, and concerned with the quality of life.

Femininity stands for a society in which social gender roles overlap where both men and women
are supposed to be modest, tender, and concerned with the quality of life.

Examples of stereotypical masculine attributes include independence, aggression, strength, and

competitiveness. Stereotypical feminine attributes include nurturing, caring, passivity, and
subordination.
Difference between Masculinity and Femininity
The main difference between masculinity and femininity comes with the beliefs and trends
followed by society. Some associates masculinity with men’s power and feel like there are
superior in society, and to bring equality, the concept of femininity is getting in vision with
beliefs of equality and a better situation for them.

In social norms masculinity is like ego oriented, the important thing is money and people live in
order to work but in terms of femininity, it is more like relationship oriented where quality of life
and people are important and people work in order to live.

In politics and economics perspective masculinity is like people give economic growth high
priority, solve conflict through force whereas in femininity environment protection is given
higher priority and conflict solved through negotiation.

Masculine mind thinks religion is most important in life and only men can be priests, in working
places larger gender wage gap with fewer women in management and they prefer for higher pay.
But femininity makes people think that religion is less important in life and both men and women
can be priests and in working places there is smaller gender wage gap with more women in
management where the preference is fewer working hours.

In masculinity, the family structure is traditional where they think girls cry, boys don’t again
boys fight, girls don’t. They also think that failing is a disaster. In femininity the family structure
is flexible where they think both boys and girls cry and neither fight also they think that failing a
minor accident.

The term masculine is often associated with having manly qualities. For example,
competitiveness is one quality that has predominantly been considered as masculine. The term
feminine is often associated with females. Sensitivity, patience, vulnerability, beautiful are all
qualities or traits that have long been considered as feminine.

In a masculine culture, men are expected to be assertive, competitive, and focused on material
success. Women are expected to be nurturing and focused on people and quality of life. In
contrast feminine culture or feminine society is one where gender roles are more fluid.

Masculinity is seen to be the trait which emphasizes ambition, acquisition of wealth, and
differentiated gender roles. Femininity is seen to be the trait which stress caring and nurturing
behaviors, sexuality equality, environmental awareness, and more fluid gender roles.
In a masculine society people are focused on individual achievement and material success and
live in a society that pressures women to be nurturing and family-focused, some women are
competitive and achievement-focused. In contrast in feminine society all people are expected to
be nurturing and focused on building a social life filled with people and activities they love.
Advantage and Disadvantages of Masculinity
Advantages
A set of advantages or rights granted to males purely because of their gender refers to male
privilege. The extent to which a man’s access to these advantages is determined by how closely
he resembles society’s ideal male standard. Men have benefits such as being able to acquire a
decent career, working harder, being able to go wherever they want, and not having to worry
about their children.

In masculinity men are given more priority. Men are not judged while dominate talks. When men
talk, they’re less likely to be interrupted. Men won’t be thought to be clueless or subjected to
mansplaining even if they don’t know what peoples’ talking about.

In a family all want a male offspring as they think that only a man can be an asset for the family,
only they can wipe out the miseries. They are given privilege every walks of life. When
criticizing people are more inclined to dismiss when males do it. Men are not expected to curse
less, apologize more, or engage in other ostensibly actions that reflect gender norms of
submissiveness.

They can dress up freely as they wish. People don't judge them or criticize them. Men won’t be
labeled a “prude” if they make their own decisions about who they want to make love with. They
are not taught that their sexuality is reserved for other people. School sex education, religious
beliefs, and other prevalent sources of sexual standards do not perceive your gender as more
filthy, unclean, or undesirable because you have lost your virginity.

Men will be less likely to be harassed on the street. The majority of women have faced street
harassment at some point in their life, and the majority of males who have are queer or gender
non-conforming. They don’t have to worry about being verbally harassed, physically beaten, or
even killed if they decline a date. They can drink alone at a pub without being disturbed. They
may go alone without fear of being violently attacked because of your gender.

Disadvantages
Assuming men should be protectors, breadwinners, or leaders, or associating men with anger,
selfishness, and aggression can be problematic and damaging. When men actively avoid
vulnerability, act on homophobic beliefs, ignore personal traumas, or exhibit prejudice behaviors
against women, this contributes to many larger societal problems, such as gender-based violence,
sexual assault, and gun violence.

Toxic masculinity is a concept used to define unhealthy and often traditional characteristics or
attributes associated with men. From being unemotional and power-hungry to narcissistic and
violent, men are oftentimes defined by these outdated and unfounded stereotypes which create an
unhealthy and unrealistic understanding of what it means to be a man in today’s society. Men
tend to keep so much bottled up inside. This includes all the traumas and heart-breaking
moments. Eventually there has to be a release. And too often that is in an explosive way.

When men actively avoid vulnerability, act on homophobic beliefs, ignore personal traumas, or
exhibit prejudice behaviors against women, this contributes to many larger societal problems,
such as gender-based violence, sexual assault, and gun violence.

Men are always the one to endure and to blame. No one will inquire about the cause of a quarrel
between a man and a woman, instead, everyone will assume the man is to blame. It is expected
of men to give rather than get. People thinks that they are born to wipe off all miseries and only
to give or fulfill the needs of others.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Femininity

Advantages
More time for offspring to study and gain academic experience. A feminized society would put
children first. Throughout a lot of history, motherhood is simply the logical evolution of
womanhood. A feminized society would spend most of its resources on its children. They tend
focusing on nurturing children results in a prolonged childhood. The more time and resources
need to be spent to raise a child, the longer the childhood will become.

People take greater focus on the family unit. Femininity often focuses on the home and looking
after children or loved ones. The family is of paramount importance when it comes to traditional
femininity. Also, when we think of motherhood it often involves a level of pride over the
achievements of their children.

In feminine society larger skilled workforce are made where male and female both given same
and equal opportunity. There is no discrimination among anyone. People get their chances on
their own ability and quality.

Feminine society there is fewer children out of wedlock or by ‘accident’ due to constraints and
lack of opportunity. Now all are given equal opportunity of education. All know about the risk
and health hazards of early pregnancy. Also all are given equal rights to choose how they want to
live without doing anything illegal.

Freedom is one of our most important goods and should be considered to be a human right,
independent of whether you are male or female. Feminism can help to promote a higher level of
freedom for women since it strives for a higher level of equality in all parts of our daily life. The
nation makes decisions based purely with its citizens in mind without having to consider the rest
of the world. Citizens are shielded from outside threats and allowed to prosper.
Women and men both contribute in the development of the country and can make better planning
and take decision. Also they can come up with better solution for any problem. In order to
improve the overall conditions for women, feminism can also help in this regard since it
promotes equal treatment of men and women and if the overall acceptance regarding this social
norm increases, men will tend to treat women much better in general.

Disadvantages
A longer amount of time before children become useful for society. Fewer people in essential
manual labour careers such as farming, sewage, and waste disposal. Deprives children of
independence. Sheltered children often lack resilience in the real world. Fewer children dues to
education and having less time.

Completely cuts off globalization as an option and thus deprive citizens of certain enriching
aspects of other peoples cultures. When pushed to extremes, you may end up with something like
The Great Firewall of China. A lack of interaction with out-groups generally makes them easier
to demonize.

It can lead to excessive advantages for women and in fact lead to a state where women will have
all the advantages while men will have the downside. Many men may also feel discriminated
against by the feminist movement.

In states where feminism is quite prevalent and where men already suffered from quite a lot of
injustice related to it, men may also get quite frustrated about this ideology. So feminism and the
related effects may also lead to a high level of frustration of men who have to suffer from unfair
treatment in various parts of their lives.

Even though the increasing level of confidence of women that can be attributed to the feminist
movement can be considered a good thing, excessive levels of confidence may lead to a certain
attitude of women that might be considered to be a little bit over the top and may do more harm
than good for our society in the long run.

Extreme feminism may also lead to a state where there will be plenty of unnecessary
bureaucratic work. A prominent example of this is the complaints regarding our street lights.
Feminism claims that street lights that are currently using a male figure should be switched to
gender-neutral traffic lights. There are many other examples around but I think you get the point.

Since feminism is a rather recent movement, the long-term effects of this ideology are still rather
unclear. Whenever the effects of something are unclear, we should be quite careful not to rely on
those concepts in an excessive manner in order to avoid any unpleasant consequences in the
future.
Equality and the opportunities provided in society for Masculinity
and Femininity
Equality helps prevent violence against women and girls and makes our communities safer and
healthier. It is a human right and it is good for the economy. The best way to prevent violence
against women is to promote gender equality.

Unequal societies are less cohesive. They have higher rates of anti-social behavior and violence.
Countries with greater gender equality are more connected. Their people are healthier and have
better wellbeing. Gender equality is good for the economy. Women and men both contribute in
the development of the country.

Both men and women are given equal rights and opportunity to get education and employment.
Equality requires equal enjoyment by women and men of socially-valued goods, opportunities,
resources and rewards. Where inequality exists, it is generally women who are excluded or
disadvantaged in relation to decision-making and access to economic and social resources.
Therefore a critical aspect of promoting gender equality is the empowerment of women, with a
focus on identifying and redressing power imbalances and giving women more autonomy to
manage their own lives. Equality does not mean that men and women become the same; only
that access to opportunities and life changes is neither dependent on, nor constrained by, their
sex. Achieving equality requires women’s empowerment to ensure that decision-making at
private and public levels, and access to resources are no longer weighted in men’s favor, so that
both women and men can fully participate as equal partners in productive and reproductive life.

Equality values by addressing known gender disparities and gaps in such areas as the division of
labor between men and women; access to and control over resources; access to services,
information and opportunities; and distribution of power and decision-making.

Masculinity give most of the opportunities to the male but take their emotions away from them
whereas in femininity male are also have given the privilege to show their emotions to others.
They are taught to take help from others in any case whether they are in problem or not.

In masculine society women were seen as a low creature which has changed. They are now
respected, protected and cared for as well as men. They help an care for each other in any
problem. No one should be neglected in any case. They all have the same privilege to pursue
their own dream. They can also speak up for themselves.

Masculinities and femininities must be recognized as socially constituted, fluid, wide ranging,
and historically and geographically differentiated.