(GAS1b) Open Session on Gender II: Masculinities and Femininities

This is an open session on gender. It invites papers that make theoretical and/or empirical contributions to the sociological study of gender Tags: Gender

Organizers: Chris Tatham, University of Guelph, Toby Anne Finlay, York University; Chairs: Chris Tatham, University of Guelph, Toby Anne Finlay, York University

Presentations

Dina Taha, Doha Institute for Graduate Studies

A Dance of Honor and Protection: Tracing Arab Masculinity and Femininity through Egyptian-Syrian Marriage Dynamics

In past and even recent sociological and anthropological research on masculinity and femininity in the Middle East, men and women were almost always studied separately or in one another’s distant backgrounds, rarely portrayed as parents and children, brothers and sisters, husband and wife, or lovers (Isidoros and Inhorn 2022). This left little sense in understanding wider inter-gender relations and interconnections within the family and intimate relationships (Isidoros and Inhorn 2022). Such an approach further enforced an implicit white liberal feminist stereotypical and Orientalist portrayal that all Arab men are oppressors, and all Arab women are oppressed and, hence need saving (Isidoros and Inhorn 2022; Razzack 2004, Abu Lughod 2002). This reductionist perspective overlooks the intricate interconnections between gendered social constructs. Building upon qualitative interviews with Egyptian husbands and Syrian refugee wives who married post-displacement, I explore the influence of perceptions of ideal masculinity and femininity on their union. By delving into these dynamics, I outline ways where Arab femininities and masculinities are interconnected, not solely in adversarial ways but also in complementary, reconciliatory, and sometimes reinforcing manners. This research focuses on the often-overlooked aspect of interconnectedness, shedding light on how these dynamics operate in real-world scenarios. Examining how women conceptualize ‘desirable’ masculinity and men envision ‘desirable’ femininity offers deeper insights into the meanings, embodiment, and societal pressures shaping these constructs in the Orientalized context of the Arab world (Said 1978; Ahmed 1992; Abu Lughod 2013). This sheds light on how femininity and masculinity mutually shape and influence each other, moving beyond the traditional isolation of men and women in the study of Gender in the Arab world (Isidoros and Inhorn 2022). During fieldwork, the image of the Syrian wife confined to the private sphere contrasted with the stereotyped Egyptian wife as too independent. I peel back the layers of this perceived Syrian femininity within the Egyptian collective consciousness, aiming to understand how it motivates and shapes these unions and what it tells us about Arab masculinities. The exploration of Syrian-Egyptian marriage dynamics reveals a fundamental premise: the core of masculinity revolves around protection and provision, contrasted with women’s expectations to uphold honor through modesty and respect, shaping the essence of ideal femininity. The narratives highlight men’s struggle to meet idealized masculine images and women’s discreet influence in guiding and reinforcing their spouses’ masculinity. A central piece in understanding the Egyptian patriarchy is that desirable femininity does not threaten masculinity. Respondents strategically utilized assertive femininity, strategic conformity, or pragmatic compromises. I refer to this negotiation as a “dance of honor and protection,” illustrating a nuanced gender dynamic beyond the typical oppressive men and oppressed women narrative. This rhythmic dynamic is characterized by a clear division of labor while leaving organic space for negotiation and occasional role interchange to uphold gendered expectations, resulting in mutual benefits to both parties. This paper contributes to understanding Arab masculinities by bridging the gap between masculinity and femininity research, unveiling the active role women play in shaping masculine identities through their interactions. This deeper understanding emphasizes the need to move beyond rigid gender segregation, acknowledging intricate interactions and influences between men and women in shaping societal norms and gendered expectations while striving to maximize personal gains.

Jiangyuan Lin, University of Toronto

Masculinity in Cross-Gender Friendships: Dynamics, Privilege, and Intimacies

This paper delves into the intricate dynamics of masculinity within heterosexual cross-gender friendships among middle-class Chinese international students in Canada. Employing hegemonic masculinity as a theoretical lens, the study explores how masculinity is articulated and how it shapes the contours of cross-gender interactions, using an ethnographic approach over a nine-week period. This research utilizes hegemonic masculinity and heteronormativity as its core theoretical framework. Connells concept of hegemonic masculinity ([1995] 2005) suggests that certain masculine practices are culturally exalted, maintaining the dominance of men and the subordination of women. Specifically, hegemonic conceptualization of masculinity can be demonstrated in the following four aspects: (1) conceptualization of ideal type men, (2) the active ranking of self and other men in relation to ideal type, (3) the support of subordination of women, and (4) the support of subordination of any femininity expressed by men. This framework is instrumental in understanding how men, through their actions and interactions, reinforce or challenge traditional gender norms within cross-gender friendships. Additionally, Judith Butlers (1990) ideas on heteronormativity are employed to examine how societal norms regarding heterosexuality and gender roles shape these friendships. The research employs an ethnographic approach, conducted over a nine-week period among middle-class Chinese international students in Canada. This method involves participant observation and digital ethnography, allowing for a comprehensive exploration of the social dynamics in different settings. Participant observation was carried out in both public and private settings, capturing a range of interactions among these students. Digital ethnography complemented this by analyzing online interactions and social media behaviors, providing insights into how masculinity is expressed and perceived in digital contexts. The studys primary argument revolves around the idea that hegemonic masculinity manifests distinctively in cross-gender friendships. It was observed that men in cross-gender friendships often engage in manhood acts (Schrock and Schwalbe, 2009) to assert their knowledge and superiority. This phenomenon was evident in men teaching their women friends new concepts or showcasing their learning, subtly reinforcing their authority. These interactions reflect a nuanced performance of hegemonic masculinity, where men assert their status and knowledge, subtly objectifying women without overt dominance. Another significant finding is the mens approach to their romantic partners in cross-gender social settings. The men would often bring their girlfriends to social events, subtly asserting dominance by relegating domestic chores to them, thus reinforcing traditional gender roles. Despite projecting an egalitarian image, these behaviors subtly underscore men’s privilege and the subordination of women. This pattern aligns with Lamont’s (2014) concept of egalitarian narratives used by men to uphold a façade of gender equality while maintaining traditional gender hierarchies. Interestingly, the dynamics shift in dyadic settings where emotional intimacy and self-disclosure are more prominent. In these one-to-one interactions, men displayed more vulnerability and openness to women, deviating from the traditional scripts of hegemonic masculinity. This finding suggests that the influence of hegemonic masculinity may be less rigid in private, intimate settings, allowing for a broader range of emotional expressions. The paper concludes that while there are signs of progressive change in men’s emotional expressiveness in same-gender friendships, cross-gender friendships continue to be influenced by hegemonic masculinity and heteronormative ideals. This research contributes to the sociological understanding of masculinity, highlighting the complexities and contradictions within cross-gender friendships. It also underscores the need for a nuanced understanding of how gender norms and societal expectations shape interpersonal relationships.

Gillian Robinson, University of Alberta

Learning access: minority and accommodation framing of gender affirmation in schools

Queer-inclusive policy in K-12 schools largely addresses queer youth as a special class in need of accommodations. For example, rather than focusing on educating all students about how rigid gender roles are limiting to our daily lives, queer-inclusive policy seems to instead render queer youth as deficient and naturally in need of additional supports (Airton, 2013). This policy framework re-marginalizes queer youth rather than empowering a school’s population to overcome exclusion together. As a representative on the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) 123 Alberta Educator Network and the teacher-advisor of a Queer-Straight Alliance (QSA) in a middle school, I constantly faced resistance when attempting to negotiate systemic change that would prevent the othering of queer youth in the first place. Grounded in a Foucauldian framework and drawing on Feminist Indigenous scholars (Simpson, 2018; TallBear, 2019), I seek to understand if the current model of queer inclusion in Alberta disrupts or reflects histories of colonialism and body regulation (Lorde, 1984). How does the model of queer-inclusive education in Alberta consider, reflect, or resist these systems and histories? Using critical discourse analysis, I have analyzed the various policies that emerged at the Alberta school board level after the provincial Ministerial Order in 2017 regarding Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. After a thematic understanding of the policy documents was obtained, I conducted 20 semi-structured interviews with SOGI school leads, and enriched this data with field notes from my own ongoing experiences in inclusion work. The framing of queer and trans inclusion within a human rights conceptualization means that they become referenced as minority. This in turn reinforces a queer and non-queer binary that is internalized as permanent amongst the general public and amongst educators. This logic works to shift focus from structural obstacles and instead displaces any inclusion access onto the backs of children, labeling them as deficit and as having additional gender needs. By pushing the work of inclusion onto individual youth seeking access, the education system assumes that children are non-queer and non-trans until they announce themselves otherwise. Educators then internalize the logic that they need to be careful with what they say to children. They have a sense that they will be disciplined by both administrators and families if they talk about queerness and gender in schools. This internalized belief means that queerness and transness becomes silenced in the broader school community. Educators then participate in respectability politics, which in turn results in neutralizing queerness and rendering it sexless, thus silenced and invisible in the broader school community. In some settings in Alberta, gender outside of the binary is presented as a third category. This category can reinforce educators thinking about minority and access when it comes to gender needs in schools. Although all children have gender affirming needs, the way that queer inclusion is taken up in Alberta schools tends to reinforce deficit thinking about gender in some students. Children then internalize non-binary expressions of gender as a burden, and self-police their gender in schools. 

Meaghan Furlano, Western University; Kaitlynn Mendes, Western University

"You will bloom if you take the time to water yourself": A content and thematic analysis of #instagramvsreality images and captions on Instagram

In 2017, a new trend emerged on social media called “Instagram vs. Reality.” To participate, Instagram users were encouraged to post side-by-side photos of themselves, one side being an idealized Instagram depiction and the other a more ‘realistic’ one. Using a qualitative content and thematic analysis, we asked: How does a trend like Instagram vs. Reality fit within a context of popular feminism and confidence culture? Mindful of the ways that popular feminist campaigns privilege dominant feminine representations, we also asked who is contributing to the trend, and what messages these contributors are spreading? The results indicated two things. First, we argue that the trend is a neoliberal project emphasizing individual psychological change via developing media literacy, rather than efforts aimed at social transformation. Second, we discovered that the trend fits within popular feminist media representations because it privileges and makes visible young, slim, conventionally attractive white women, at the expense of more diverse body types, ages, and non-normative beauty standards. We conclude by taking a stand against arguments situating media literacy as the best solution to combating social ills, arguing instead that media literacy is a neoliberal harm reduction strategy that best fits within the ideology of confidence culture.