Iranian men and masculinity; what people fail to understand
Masculinity and Femininity are two terms, which have been interpreted differently throughout history. Both males and females have ‘responsibilities and roles’ but these roles differ based on one’s gender. Gender has played a prodigious role in the economy, politics, and society. While the social construction of femininity has been widely examined, the dominant role of masculinity, has remained largely invisible. Since the 1979 Iranian Revolution, Iran’s image has been defined by its politics. In the media, Iranian women have been front and center in the frame. Iranian men, on the other hand, are absent from the picture. What is misunderstood of masculinity and how does it interplay between tradition? Despite the issues Iranian women face, the topic of Iranian men and masculinity and the influence of traditional male stereotypes have on the perpetuation of gender inequality has not been addressed.
What do most people think when they hear the phrase “be a man?” well they most likely think they should toughen up and be strong. In society, traditional masculinity is characterized by violence, danger, promiscuity, and lack of emotions. A common concept that is often not discussed when examining men and masculinity is how much emphasis is put on the quality aspects of being a man. “When we define maleness, or masculinity, we are quick to assume that to be a man means being aggressive, loud, violent, and dominant. Even more, maleness and masculinity is often defined by one’s gender, their gender presentation, and how they perform maleness and masculinity.”(Higgins 2018) Throughout time we can see how specific roles were created for both genders and how that has shaped their place and status in society. These are called gender roles, these roles create a difference in the way that masculine and feminine behaviors are accepted among society. Gender roles are often depicted as just a part of who a person is and help better define the difference between male and female. When society begins to use these gender roles as norms we often see those who don’t fit into the correct role become excluded by society. “Therefore, the supposed differences between men and women are accentuated through the legitimation of social stereotypes. These stereotypes, presented as inherent, are influenced by the social environment to which one is subjected.” (Edwards 2015) These gender profiles of male and female are normalized that they create a problem within societies. For example, people don’t realize the misunderstood connections between the motives and the cause for the behavior of Iranian men among women in Iran.
Changes within society, unknowingly to some, have brought issues regarding gender stereotypes and shapes the male identity through exploitation. For example in Iran. Iran was not similar to other countries around the globe when it came to women’s rights. It was, however, a great deal harsher in its lack of equality than many other countries. “Women are not equal under Iran’s constitution, adopted in 1979 after the revolution that overthrew Shah Reza Pahlavi.” (Celizic 2007) Iranian men being the superior gender, society encourages males to analyze their socially constructed gender profiles and build on their ego. “Realising gender equality is strongly weighted on the contribution of males, because ‘… the very gender inequalities in economic assets, political power, cultural authority, and means of coercion that gender reform intend to change (ultimately) mean that men control most of the resources required to implement women’s claims for justice.”(Edwards 2015) Masculinity refers to cultural values, ideas and assumptions that surround the male identity, from this they learn these values and contribute to them in their everyday life. Iranian men are used to being dominant and in power, especially over women. As Feminism and Feminist Movements Following the 1979 Revolution progressed through the decades, I believe it may have targeted the masculinity of Iranian men. With the rise of women and sexuality representations in the media, masculinity of men was in question due to the social position of dominant men in a gendered world country. As others were soon gaining more respect, men are questioning their dominant role since it seems to no longer matter in a world that more accepting to others.
Masculinity like other kinds of social identity, is an ongoing construction between one’s self image and other perceptions of one. What many people fail to understand is how different types of socio-cultural norms influence how societies view what it means to be a man of which vary, and often include sexual identity, family life, as well as religious and cultural beliefs.“In order to aspire to this social classification, there is a particular set of core features that a man must demonstrate. These include: power/strength, rationality, heterosexuality, risk-taking, dominance, leadership, control, and repression of emotions.”(Edwards 2015) In this case, the socio-cultural norms in Iran influences behavior of Iranian men among women in Iran. Women who embody Iranian norms are oppressed and that Iranian men are the oppressor. However Iran glorification of male superiority is toxic because it encourages abuse, continues the idea that men are inherently violent, and sets several gender restrictions. Traditional Masculinity refers to a specific set of traits and behaviors that are considered culturally appropriate for manhood, some of which can become harmful in certain cases. “One of the main issues regarding gender equality is that men do not comprehensively understand how traditional masculinities disadvantage women. Many men are unaware they exist within socially constructed gender structures that disenfranchise subordinated gender profiles, and therefore do not recognise a problem.”(Edwards 2015) The glorification of male superiority makes it so men are raised to think violence and aggression are normal. This violence is inherent, but it is encouraged by society and families. By placing so much importance on traditional masculinity, we create a strict set of gender roles that forces Iranian men to comply by the risk of being ridiculed as “weak”. Patriarchy has created a country where men are raised to desire control, showing that sexism, homophobia, and even racism is systemic. In addition, the patriarchy hurts not only women, but also men, as it forces them to follow a fraile set of standards at the expense of being labelled as “weak”. Because for an Iranian man, they often feel the need to measure up to the masculine ideal of being strong, tough, dominant etc. One of the ways in which they do this is in supporting their families. For years, men have been the only provider of the household or the “breadwinner” while the women took care of the household and the children. Masculinity is something into which men are acculturated and is composed of social codes of behavior which they learn to reproduce in culturally appropriate ways.
“The social construction of gender is actually a system of power that not only divides men and women as masculine and feminine but typically also places men and masculinity above women and femininity and operates to value more highly those institutions and practices that are male dominated and/or representative of masculine traits and styles”(Edwards 2015) We see this with one of the larger gender norms, that men often feel the obligation to live up to, as said before, being the head of the household by supporting their wife and children financially. Though being the sole provider or the one who makes the money in the relationship may not seem like a big deal it gives men a sense of masculine identity. “As men dominate the public sphere and hold more decision-making power, women’s authority is mostly limited to the domestic space. Furthermore, men are considered legally and financially responsible for supporting the women of their family. This means women commonly get passed over for jobs, earn less and receive lower allowances as it is expected that their male family member will support them.”(Evason 2019) For some men, not being able to support their families financially on their own can have a large impact on their sense of masculinity. Men may have an even harder time dealing with their sense of masculinity when they’re told by their families that he can do better. These things do not seem like they should matter, but it often does have a large impact on how they see themselves. Working class men not only feel the need to support their families but there are other ways in which many choose to live up to their masculine ideal. Drinking can be “defined as a male and masculine behaviour”. Violence is another large aspect associated with being masculine. Men are expected to be tough, strong, unemotional and dominant and one way they chose to express these emotions is through violence. Gender roles, refers to society’s concept of how men and women are expected to act and behave. These gender roles are biological and social factors, and are simply a part of who they are and how they see themselves.
Male identity crisis is a rapidly developing problem among men in Iran. Male stereotypes affect the manner in which males engage with gender equality, and traditional masculinity acts as the dominant masculinity for men. The enactment of masculinity is a diverse, mobile, unstable construction of who males should be. The hegemonic masculinity is the dominant cultural expectation of men, it exaggerates what the perceived qualities a male should have and ultimately be in the face of perceived threats if they do not conform to them. Although different masculinities exist for men, the idea of traditional masculinity remains the most influential. Realising gender equality is difficult, because the fundamental characteristics exhibited by traditional masculinity defend against change. Gender defines the male form through incorporations of character traits such as strength, aggression, assertiveness and the value of reason over emotion. By closely examining men and their masculinity, patriarchy, culture and tradition, I hope I was able to shed a new light on how male stereotypes affect the manner in which males engage with gender equality. By explaining males and analysing their socially constructed gender profiles, it is possible to educate people on the rarely acknowledge of Irianian men and on how their social roles may impact gender equality.
Bibliography
Celizic, Mike. “Beyond the Veil: Lives of Women in Iran.” TODAY.com, 13 Sept. 2007, https://www.today.com/news/beyond-veil-lives-women-iran-2D80555320.
Edwards, Aydon. “It’s a Man’s World: The Effect of Traditional Masculinity on Gender Equality.” e-Ir.info, 29 Mar. 2015, https://www.e-ir.info/2015/03/23/universal-securityemancipation-a-critique-of-ken-booth/.
Evason, Nina. “Iranian Culture – Family.” Culture Atlas, 2019, https://culturalatlas.sbs.com.au/iranian-culture/family-f72c2a4e-ffa9-42a7-b918-7445f1d9d6d9#family-f72c2a4e-ffa9-42a7-b918-7445f1d9d6d9.
Higgins, Jonathan P. “What Does It Mean to Be a Man?” The On Being Project, 27 June 2018, https://onbeing.org/blog/jonathan-p-higgins-what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-man/.
