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THE CONSTRUCTS OF MASCULINITY IN THE CULTURE OF RUSSIAN WORKING-CLASS YOUTH
Corresponding Author(s) : T. Gavrilyuk
Humanities & Social Sciences Reviews,
Vol. 8 No. 1 (2020): January
Abstract
Purpose: The study is aimed to research the means and patterns of masculinity constructing in the working-class culture of modern Russia. Both the practices of producing its multiple forms in daily interaction and the stable structures of social inequality, which consolidate gender order at the institutional level, have been considered. The article also provides an analytical review of current studies of the working-class masculinity regimes in post-industrial societies.
Methodology: The empirical base of the research is represented by the mass survey of 1534 respondents living in the Ural Federal District of Russia. The participants were working-class young people aged 16 to 29 years and occupied in the field of industry, technical maintenance, and customer service. The processing of research results was carried out using a statistical package IBM SPSS Statistics Version 20.
Main Findings: It was found that the remaining structural disproportion between sectors of the economy in the level of remuneration and the gender composition of workers determines translation and reproduction of the male breadwinner pattern that has power in the family on the basis of control over economic resources.
Applications of this study: The results of the study can be used in the teaching of sociology, gender studies, and cultural studies; it can also be applied by local policymakers while developing social policy programs targeted on the regarded social group.
Novelty/Originality of this study: In the current research we have examined a specific group at the intersection of three stratification features: social class (the working class representatives), gender (men’s and women’s view of the masculine construct) and age (the youth of three age cohorts). The attention was paid both to the cultural production of multiple forms of masculinity and to the continued dominance of social inequality and suppression’ structures.
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- Anderson, E. (2005). Orthodox and inclusive masculinity: Competing masculinities among heterosexual men in a feminized terrain. Sociological Perspectives, https://doi.org/10.1525/sop.2005.48.3.337 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1525/sop.2005.48.3.337
- Cockburn, C. (1983). Brothers: Male dominance and technological change. London: Pluto Press.
- Coltrane, S., Shih, K. Y. (2010) Gender and the division of labour. In J. C. Chrisler and D. R. McCreary (eds.), Handbook of Gender Research in Psychology. Vol. 2: Gender Research in Social and Applied Psychology (pp. 401–422). New York: Springer. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1467-5_17
- Connell, R. W. (1991) Live fast and die young: The construction of masculinity among young working-class men on the margin of the labour market. Journal of Sociology, https://doi.org/10.1177/144078339102700201 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/144078339102700201
- Craig, L. (2006) Does father care mean fathers share? A comparison of how mothers and fathers in intact families spend time with children. Gender & Society, https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243205285212 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243205285212
- Demetriou, D. (2001) Connell’s concept of hegemonic masculinity: A critique. Theory & Society, 30, 337–361. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1017596718715
- Donaldson, M. (1987) Labouring men: love, sex and strife. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Sociology, 23 (3), 165-184. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/144078338702300201
- Jackson, P.B., Berkowitz, A. (2005). The structure of the life course: gender and racioethnic variations in the occurrence and sequencing of role transitions. Advances in Life Course Research, 9, 55–90. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1040-2608(04)09003-3
- Gavrilyuk, T.V., ed. (2019) Molodej novogo rabochego classa sovremennoi Rossii [Young people of the new working class of modern Russia]. Moscow: FLINTA. (In. Russ)
- Gill, R. (2003) Power and the production of subjects: A genealogy of the new man and the new lad. In B. Benwell (Ed.), Masculinity and Men’s Lifestyle Magazines (pp. 34–56). Oxford: Blackwell. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-954X.2003.tb03602.x
- Hancock, A. M. (2007) When multiplication doesn’t equal quick addition: Examining intersectionality as a research paradigm. Perspectives on Politics, https://doi.org/10.1017/S1537592707070065 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1537592707070065
- Lee, J.S., Waithaka, E.N. (2017). The intersections of marginalized social identities in the transition to adulthood: A demographic profile. Emerging Adulthood, https://doi.org/10.1177/2167696816659021 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/2167696816659021
- Lindsay, C., McQuaid, R. W. (2004) Avoiding the “McJobsâ€: Unemployed job seekers and attitudes to service work. Work Employment and Society, https://doi.org/10.1177/09500172004042771 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/09500172004042771
- Lipasova, A. (2017) Fatherhood in the Russian provinces: A theoretical and empirical analysis. The Journal of Social Policy Studies, 15 (4), 629 – 642. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17323/727-0634-2017-15-4-629-642
- Lippert, J. (1977) Sexuality as Consumption. In J. Snodgrass (Ed.), For Men Against Sexism (pp. 207-213). Albion, Times Change Press.
- Lupton, R. (2006) Explaining men’s entry into female-concentrated occupations: Issues of masculinity and social class. Gender, Work & Organization, 13(2), 108–128. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0432.2006.00299.x
- Meshherkina, E.Yu. (2002) By`tie muzhskogo soznaniya: opy`t rekonstrukcii maskulinnoj identichnosti srednego i rabochego klassa [The existance of male consciousness: the experience of reconstructing the masculine identity of the middle and working class]. In S. Ushakin (Ed.), O muzhe(N)stvennosti: Sbornik statej (pp. 268-288). Moscow: Novoe literaturnoe obozrenie. (In Russ.)
- McDowell, L. (2004) Masculinity, identity and labour market change: Some reflections on the implications of thinking relationally about difference and the politics of inclusion. Geografiska Annaler, Ser. B, Human Geography, Special Issue: The Political Challenge of Relational Space, 86 (1), 45-56. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0435-3684.2004.00153.x
- Nixon, D. (2009) “I can’t put a smiley face onâ€: Working-class masculinity, emotional labour and service work in the “new economyâ€. Gender, Work & Organization, 16(3), 300–322. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0432.2009.00446.x
- Roberts, S. (2013) Boys Will Be Boys ... Won’t They? Change and Continuities in Contemporary Young Working-class Masculinities. Sociology, https://doi.org/10.1177/0038038512453791 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0038038512453791
- Segal, L. (1990) Slow motion: Changing masculinities, changing men. London: Virago.
- Settersten, R.A. Jr., Gannon, L. (2005) Structure, agency and space between: on the challenges and contradictions of a blended view of the life course. Advances in Life Course Research, 10, 35–55. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1040-2608(05)10001-X
- Tartakovskaya, I. N. (2002) Muzhchiny` na ry`nke truda [Men in the labour market]. Sociologicheskij zhurnal, 0 (3), 112-125. (In Russ.)
- Thébaud, S. (2010) Masculinity, bargaining, and breadwinning. Gender & Society, https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243210369105 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243210369105
- Tolson, A. (1977) The Limits of Masculinity, London: Tavistock.
- Vanke, A. (2014) The corporeality of working-class men in labour regimes and the private sphere. Summary. Laboratorium, 6(1), 154–158.
- Willis, P. (1979) Shop floor culture, masculinity and the wage form. In J. Clarke, C. Critcher and R. Johnson (eds.), Working Class Culture (pp. 185-198). London: Hutchinson.
- Whitehead, S. (2002) Men and masculinities: Key themes and new directions. Cambridge: Polity.
- Zaslavskaya, T. I. (1997) Social`naya struktura sovremennogo rossijskogo obshhestva [The social structure of modern Russian society]. Obshhestvenny`e nauki i sovremennost`, 2, 5 - 23. (In Russ.)
- Zdravomyslova, E., Temkina, A. (2002). Krizis maskulinnosti v pozdnesovetskom diskurse [The crisis of masculinity in the late Soviet discourse]. In S. Ushakin (Ed.) O muzhe(N)stvennosti: Sbornik statej (pp. 432 - 452). Moscow: Novoe literaturnoe obozrenie. (In Russ.)
References
Anderson, E. (2005). Orthodox and inclusive masculinity: Competing masculinities among heterosexual men in a feminized terrain. Sociological Perspectives, https://doi.org/10.1525/sop.2005.48.3.337 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1525/sop.2005.48.3.337
Cockburn, C. (1983). Brothers: Male dominance and technological change. London: Pluto Press.
Coltrane, S., Shih, K. Y. (2010) Gender and the division of labour. In J. C. Chrisler and D. R. McCreary (eds.), Handbook of Gender Research in Psychology. Vol. 2: Gender Research in Social and Applied Psychology (pp. 401–422). New York: Springer. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1467-5_17
Connell, R. W. (1991) Live fast and die young: The construction of masculinity among young working-class men on the margin of the labour market. Journal of Sociology, https://doi.org/10.1177/144078339102700201 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/144078339102700201
Craig, L. (2006) Does father care mean fathers share? A comparison of how mothers and fathers in intact families spend time with children. Gender & Society, https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243205285212 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243205285212
Demetriou, D. (2001) Connell’s concept of hegemonic masculinity: A critique. Theory & Society, 30, 337–361. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1017596718715
Donaldson, M. (1987) Labouring men: love, sex and strife. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Sociology, 23 (3), 165-184. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/144078338702300201
Jackson, P.B., Berkowitz, A. (2005). The structure of the life course: gender and racioethnic variations in the occurrence and sequencing of role transitions. Advances in Life Course Research, 9, 55–90. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1040-2608(04)09003-3
Gavrilyuk, T.V., ed. (2019) Molodej novogo rabochego classa sovremennoi Rossii [Young people of the new working class of modern Russia]. Moscow: FLINTA. (In. Russ)
Gill, R. (2003) Power and the production of subjects: A genealogy of the new man and the new lad. In B. Benwell (Ed.), Masculinity and Men’s Lifestyle Magazines (pp. 34–56). Oxford: Blackwell. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-954X.2003.tb03602.x
Hancock, A. M. (2007) When multiplication doesn’t equal quick addition: Examining intersectionality as a research paradigm. Perspectives on Politics, https://doi.org/10.1017/S1537592707070065 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1537592707070065
Lee, J.S., Waithaka, E.N. (2017). The intersections of marginalized social identities in the transition to adulthood: A demographic profile. Emerging Adulthood, https://doi.org/10.1177/2167696816659021 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/2167696816659021
Lindsay, C., McQuaid, R. W. (2004) Avoiding the “McJobsâ€: Unemployed job seekers and attitudes to service work. Work Employment and Society, https://doi.org/10.1177/09500172004042771 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/09500172004042771
Lipasova, A. (2017) Fatherhood in the Russian provinces: A theoretical and empirical analysis. The Journal of Social Policy Studies, 15 (4), 629 – 642. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17323/727-0634-2017-15-4-629-642
Lippert, J. (1977) Sexuality as Consumption. In J. Snodgrass (Ed.), For Men Against Sexism (pp. 207-213). Albion, Times Change Press.
Lupton, R. (2006) Explaining men’s entry into female-concentrated occupations: Issues of masculinity and social class. Gender, Work & Organization, 13(2), 108–128. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0432.2006.00299.x
Meshherkina, E.Yu. (2002) By`tie muzhskogo soznaniya: opy`t rekonstrukcii maskulinnoj identichnosti srednego i rabochego klassa [The existance of male consciousness: the experience of reconstructing the masculine identity of the middle and working class]. In S. Ushakin (Ed.), O muzhe(N)stvennosti: Sbornik statej (pp. 268-288). Moscow: Novoe literaturnoe obozrenie. (In Russ.)
McDowell, L. (2004) Masculinity, identity and labour market change: Some reflections on the implications of thinking relationally about difference and the politics of inclusion. Geografiska Annaler, Ser. B, Human Geography, Special Issue: The Political Challenge of Relational Space, 86 (1), 45-56. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0435-3684.2004.00153.x
Nixon, D. (2009) “I can’t put a smiley face onâ€: Working-class masculinity, emotional labour and service work in the “new economyâ€. Gender, Work & Organization, 16(3), 300–322. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0432.2009.00446.x
Roberts, S. (2013) Boys Will Be Boys ... Won’t They? Change and Continuities in Contemporary Young Working-class Masculinities. Sociology, https://doi.org/10.1177/0038038512453791 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0038038512453791
Segal, L. (1990) Slow motion: Changing masculinities, changing men. London: Virago.
Settersten, R.A. Jr., Gannon, L. (2005) Structure, agency and space between: on the challenges and contradictions of a blended view of the life course. Advances in Life Course Research, 10, 35–55. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1040-2608(05)10001-X
Tartakovskaya, I. N. (2002) Muzhchiny` na ry`nke truda [Men in the labour market]. Sociologicheskij zhurnal, 0 (3), 112-125. (In Russ.)
Thébaud, S. (2010) Masculinity, bargaining, and breadwinning. Gender & Society, https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243210369105 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243210369105
Tolson, A. (1977) The Limits of Masculinity, London: Tavistock.
Vanke, A. (2014) The corporeality of working-class men in labour regimes and the private sphere. Summary. Laboratorium, 6(1), 154–158.
Willis, P. (1979) Shop floor culture, masculinity and the wage form. In J. Clarke, C. Critcher and R. Johnson (eds.), Working Class Culture (pp. 185-198). London: Hutchinson.
Whitehead, S. (2002) Men and masculinities: Key themes and new directions. Cambridge: Polity.
Zaslavskaya, T. I. (1997) Social`naya struktura sovremennogo rossijskogo obshhestva [The social structure of modern Russian society]. Obshhestvenny`e nauki i sovremennost`, 2, 5 - 23. (In Russ.)
Zdravomyslova, E., Temkina, A. (2002). Krizis maskulinnosti v pozdnesovetskom diskurse [The crisis of masculinity in the late Soviet discourse]. In S. Ushakin (Ed.) O muzhe(N)stvennosti: Sbornik statej (pp. 432 - 452). Moscow: Novoe literaturnoe obozrenie. (In Russ.)