the evolution of masculinity in singapore march 2017

Kay Hui

What Does “Being a Man” Mean to You?The Evolution of Masculinity…

23 February 2017

Kay Hui

… in Singapore

23 February 2017

Then1960s

Now2010s

&

Masculinity1

/ˌmaskjʊˈlɪnɪti/Noun:

• Qualities or attributes regarded as characteristic of men

• ‘Handsome, muscled, and driven, he's a prime example of masculinity.’

The Evolution of Masculinity in Singapore | February 2017 | © Kay Hui 2017 3

Looking at the typical definitions of

1 The Oxford Dictionary

Femininity

/ˌfɛmɪˈnɪnɪti/Noun:

• The quality of being female; womanliness.

• ‘She celebrates her femininity by wearing make-up and high heels.’


Versus the concept, definitions and dimensions of


Initially separating biology from the meanings people attach to gender

I quickly found out that in their minds• Gender• Biology• Social convention• Personal

experienceAre all inextricably linked to their concepts of masculinity (and femininity, and anything in between)

… as society develops and shifts, those definitions do too.

Where do you (does society) draw the line in the sand?


Because people’s definitions are a snapshot of a point in time

Masculinitythen

Masculinitynow

Masculinityin the future?

What do people think?


Talking to five Singaporean men aged 25-72


Hui Keen Ming, 72Retired aircraft engineerBorn in 1945

Patrick Lim, 62Counsellor & TherapistBorn in 1955

Cheng Hiap Choon, 48Singapore Armed Forces PersonnelBorn in 1969

Hui Ken Wei, 38BankerBorn in 1979

Gabriel Ong, 25National University of Singapore Final Year StudentBorn in 1992

… And women aged 25-69


Chan Yuet Yee, 69Retired Executive AssistantBorn in 1948

Married to

Chrys Hu-Lim, 62Homemaker & MasterchefBorn in 1955

Married to

Hui Soh Yin, 48Ex-Engineer now Stay-At-Home-MomBorn in 1969Married to

Evonne Lek, 41PsychotherapistBorn in 1978

Desiree Lim, 25Project ExecutiveBorn in 1992

Back then, masculinity was very structured and rigid


Masculinitythen

Dad Cad

The Dad/Cad2

dichotomy of masculinity

Dads• Getting married and establishing a family was the mark of the maturity

of a man• To their family, it was men’s responsibility to provide (financially, food)

and protect• To their country, men fought and served as soldiers• Expected to fix things

Cads• Being known in the market place (through legitimate power or

violence) commanded respect and awe• A masculine man was one who ruled, no matter what• Leaders were in place to solve their families’ or followers problems

Whether a Dad or a Cad:• Masculinity was seen as “outside the home”• Society was structured more rigidly• There was less flow of knowledge/information – you didn’t know what

you didn't know2 Byrne Hobart, Quora.com

Over the decades, more dimensions of masculinity developed


Masculinitythen

Dad Cad

The Dad/Cad2

dichotomy of masculinity

Masculinitynow

The multifariouspolychotomy of masculinity

2 Byrne Hobart, Quora.com

Looking broadly at an overview of the evolution of masculinity as opposed to an in-depth charting of specific movements of dimensions year-on-year, or decade-on-decade.

The new masculinity has many faces and wears many masks


Masculinitynow

The multifariouspolychotomy of masculinity

A man might still be expected to… fix things but not know how to…… provide but in different ways and choose to be a stay-at-home-husband…… identify as a man but experiment flamboyantly with fashionWhat was once deemed non-masculine, today does not preclude from masculinity.

… Being in touch with feelings…… Having a softer side…… Communicating…… Doing household chores…Once seen as the traits of femininity, are no longer emasculating

And types of masculinity have ballooned from dichotomous to polychotomous... The Stud ∙ Mr. Fashion Week ∙ The Athlete ∙ The Rugged Man…… The House Husband ∙ The Man Child ∙ The Handyman ∙ The Geek…… The Hipster ∙ The Weirdo ∙ The Sexy Bad Boy…3

3 Katherine Arteche, The Smart Local

So what’s happening to masculinity, and why is it even important?


1. Masculinity is still a desired ideal but the goalposts have moved


Chart 1

This model 4 by Everett Rogers’ seeks to explain how, why, and at what rate new ideas spread.

Chart 2

Society is made up of multiple such idea diffusion curves that show the emergence and dissolution of ideas and concepts, rules and norms.

ThereforeMasculinity, in this view, is not a constant, universal essence, but rather an ever-changing fluid assemblage of meanings and behaviors that vary dramatically. Thus we speak of masculinities, in recognition of the different definitions of manhood that we construct. By pluralizing the term, we acknowledge that masculinity means different things to different groups of men at different times5.

- Michael Kimmel, Professor of Sociology,Stony Brook University, New York

2.5%Innovators

13.5%Early

Adopters

34%Early

Majority

34%Late

Majority

16%Laggards

Chart 1

Chart 2

4 Source: Everett Rogers, Diffusion of Innovations, 19625 Source: Global Masculinities: Restoration and Resistance

“

”

1. Masculinity is still a desired ideal but the goalposts have moved


A masculine man needs to be areal man. He must dress like one, talk

like one, and act like one... I just can’t accept men who dress like women. I know some of

my friends can, but I can’t…

2. Singapore’s continued path from collectivism to individualism has spawned even more dimensions of masculinity

Singapore has developed from a largely collectivist (as most Asian cultures are) society towards one that prizes individuality

• Birth rates have been decreasing since Singapore’s independence, with the tipping point in 1975 6

• With more families having only one or two children, kids became their parents’ little darlings (小宝贝)

• Singapore’s Generation X were the first people to move to an individualist mindset away from the country’s collectivist past.


Mr. Hipster is dead. All hailMr. Yuccie! 7 Young Urban Creatives. A slice of Gen Y, borne of

suburban comfort, indoctrinated with the transcendent power of education, and infected by the conviction that not only do we deserve to pursue our dreams; we should profit from them.

6 Source: Source: World Bank data7 Source: David Infante, Mashable 2015

2. Singapore’s continued path from collectivism to individualism has spawned even more dimensions of masculinity


“We were not fortunate enough to be ablechoose back then. We did what we had to. We took

care of the family. It was always family first. That’s what being a real man was in those days. These days young people – both sexes – are lucky. They have less pressure to do what society expects of them. They can do what they want, choose what they want. You know when you decided to go to London to work and Mom

was against it but you went anyway. Think most girls would have even thought of that back then?

3. The future of masculinity (and femininity) is irrelevant

A job, which was a key dimension that defined masculinity in the past is no longer so

• In 2016, the workforce was 45.8% female8

• Female Singaporean millennials are the most independent, globally9

Today, what is expected of men is also expected of women(and vice versa).

• Traditionally masculine dimensions – responsibility, financial provision, problem-solving, level-headedness, rationality – are also expected of women

• Embracing the more nurturing side of femininity – communication, empathy, concern – is the mark of strengthof a man

Masculine or sissy? Who cares?


8 Source: Ministry of Manpower, Manpower Research & Statistics Department, Labour Force in Singapore 20169 Source: Human Resources Magazine10 Source: World Bank data

10

3. The future of masculinity (and femininity) is irrelevant


“I like cooking. You know my“nom nom nom diaries” album on

Facebook filled with my food! No one believes that I can cook because I’m such a guy with my football. Maybe cooking’s too girly but my mother’s a great cook and I learnt from the best. Helped me a lot in

Berlin when I was by myself.”

“My dad fixes things around thehouse and things like punching extra

holes in my handbag strap. And he also does the ironing. Not every guy today can do

that. I think I know more about using tools that some guys I know. It’s not that I can’t

do these things for myself, but sometimes it’s nice when a guy does it for you.”


5 Source: averageheight.com

Looking into the crystal ball

Biology will always play a role, however big or small,… Men are bigger and taller11, therefore physical strength is aphysical trait that could make lifting heavy things easier

But really, Will masculinity (and femininity)

really matter?

References

1. The Oxford Dictionary, https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/masculinity

2. Byrne Hobarthttps://www.quora.com/How-has-the-concept-of-masculinity-evolved-over-the-last-fifty-years

3. Katherine Arteche, The Smart Localhttp://thesmartlocal.com/read/types-of-guys

4. Everett Rogers, Diffusion of Innovations, 1962

5. Global Masculinities: Restoration and Resistance, by Michael Kimmel

6. World Bank data

7. David Infante, Mashable 2015http://mashable.com/2015/06/09/post-hipster-yuccie/#jVmJOhXnliqU

8. Ministry of Manpower, Manpower Research & Statistics Department, Labour Force in Singapore 2016

9. Human Resources Magazinehttp://www.humanresourcesonline.net/female-singaporean-millennials-independent-globally/

10. Source: World Bank data

11. http://averageheight.com



Kay Huihttps://www.linkedin.com/in/kayhui/Mobile +65 8189 2808Skype Kay.Hui

the evolution of masculinity in singapore march 2017

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