Gender-Role Conflict and Strain in Men’s Lives

Gender-role conflict and strain are part of contemporary society’s gender reevaluation. This gender reevaluation includes a critical assessment of masculinity, femininity, and androgyny as norms for optimal functioning in a rapidly changing society. Gender-role reevaluation is the process whereby men and women assess, maintain, and redefine their feelings, thoughts, and behaviors about their masculine, feminine, and androgynous roles. Gender-role reevaluation is also part of society’s concern with how the sexes interact and relate to each other. Currently, the sexes are asking questions about their gender-role definitions and how they have been emotionally affected or restricted by their socialization and sexism in their lives. From these gender reevaluations, many individuals are discovering gender-role conflicts and strains that emanate from early gender-role socialization and societal expectations related to the appropriateness of masculine and feminine roles. The reevaluation of gender roles is difficult for many to integrate into their emotional, career, and interpersonal lives and there is much struggle to incorporate new gender-role definitions without strain and conflict.

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