Male disadvantage

Question 1

Workplace

Answer 1

Dermott - Argues men work longer hours than women regardless of their status as fathers.

Farrell - The ‘glass cellar’ - of the 25 professions ranked lowest, 24 of them are 85-100% male (roofer, welder, rubbish collector and sewer maintenance)

Question 2

Education

Answer 2

Willis – States that working class ‘Lads’ are fatalistic about their futures due to following in their father’s footsteps – Leading them into low status, low paid, basic manual labour jobs – develop anti school attitudes

Mitsos and Browne – teachers are too lenient on ‘laddish’ behaviour of boys and that this can do them a disservice leading to their lack of achievement. Whereas they are hard on girls who are seen as breaking both the school rules and gender norms – ‘doubly deviant’ – This ensures that they achieve

Question 3

Media

Answer 3

Sewell – Found that black Afro-Caribbean boys turned to rapper role models due to a lack of father figure within the home, when they were from matriarchal backgrounds. lead boys into deviant anti-school subcultures which lead to their lack of achievement.

Easthorpe (1990) argues that a variety of media, especially Hollywood films and computer games, transmit the view that masculinity based on strength, aggression, competition and violence is biologically determined and, therefore, a natural goal for boys to achieve.

Question 4

Crime

Answer 4

Campbell (1993) - Men are denied their masculinity through academic success or being the breadwinner (in a de-industrialised society) therefore they turn to violence and anti-social behaviour to express their masculinity

Faludi (1999) – Males are not ‘deviant’, they are ‘performing their masculinity’ and demonstrated qualities expected from males: toughness, bravery and strength