Nearly one in two 18- to 24-year-olds said they were concerned that “real men” were being pushed to the margins of society.
Keystone-SDA
Nearly one in three young men in Switzerland believes in the idea of masculinity based on dominance, a new study out on Tuesday shows. These men are more likely to condone violence and hold misogynistic and anti-LGBTQ+ attitudes.
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The University of Zurich reached these conclusions in a new study, it said on Tuesday, adding this is the first time such data has been available for Switzerland.
For this representative study, called Masculinity in Transition, researchers from the Jacobs Centre for Productive Youth Development at the University of Zurich surveyed more than 6,000 people aged between 18 and 64 in Switzerland. The study was conducted in collaboration with männer.ch, the umbrella organisation for Swiss men’s and fathers’ organisations. It focused on questions regarding gender roles, relationships, sexuality and equality.
Researchers measure ‘Factor M’
To make these attitudes measurable, the researchers developed a new indicator, which they call Factor M. It combines various attitudes: agreement with traditional gender roles, the perception of a threat to male identity, scepticism towards equality, and views hostile to women, homosexuals and queer people. High scores indicate a worldview that strongly associates masculinity with dominance, toughness and exclusion.
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The results are particularly striking among men aged 18 to 24. In this age group, 31% belong to the group with the highest Factor M scores. Across all age groups, one in five men falls into this category. Among women, the figure is 7%.
Also striking is the sense of threat felt by many young men. Nearly one in two 18- to 24-year-olds stated that they were concerned that “real men” were being pushed to the margins of society. This figure surprised the researchers as well.
TikTok, YouTube and Covid-19
It is not yet fully clear why these figures are so high among young men in particular. However, the researchers assume that this is not solely due to age. “We also suspect generation-specific influences,” said Markus Theunert, technical director and co-managing director of männer.ch, in an interview with the Keystone-SDA news agency.
As possible explanations, the authors point to the socialisation of the youngest generation of men online. Platforms such as TikTok and YouTube promote images of masculinity that emphasise dominance, toughness and status. At the same time, crucial years of identity formation for this age group coincided with the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the study cannot determine whether such factors are actually responsible for this trend.
German-speakers more likely to believe in dominant male
It is not just age and gender that are decisive. Education, social status, background and place of residence are also linked to the Factor M scores.
Factor M is particularly prevalent among men with lower levels of education, lower incomes and lower occupational status. According to the study, almost one in two (47%) of men aged 18-24 with vocational training belong to the group with the highest Factor M scores. Among upper-school and university graduates, the proportion is more than three times lower.
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In German-speaking Switzerland, the figures for young men are higher than in French-speaking Switzerland and in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino. For instance, 35% of young men from German-speaking Switzerland belong to the group with the highest Factor M scores. In French-speaking Switzerland, the figure is 24%, and in Italian-speaking Switzerland 18%.
Origin and region also play a significant role. Among men of Swiss origin, 18.4% belong to the high-score group, whilst among men with paternal roots in the former Yugoslavia, just under one in two do.
Link to violence
For the researchers, the high Factor M scores are relevant not only because they say something about gender roles. They also see them as a risk factor for violence.
The study shows that men with high Factor M scores are significantly more likely to view violence as a legitimate means of child-rearing. Furthermore, they are disproportionately affected by conflict-ridden relationships. The authors point to a close link between dominance-oriented notions of masculinity and violence in relationships.
Differences are also evident in terms of sexual satisfaction. Men with high Factor M scores report sexual frustration more frequently, consume pornography more often and make greater use of sexual services.
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Translated from German with AI/gw
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