Male Sexuality

In one of my other classes, I was looking into the differences between male and female sexuality, and I came across an interesting study. It was about “precarious sexualities,” which is a sexuality that is rigid and unforgiving. The researchers suggested that male sexuality was a precarious sexuality, while female sexuality is not.

The study is built on the premise that male sexuality, specifically white heterosexuality, is the dominant sexuality in our culture. A quality of hegemonic masculinity is heterosexuality, and other sexualities are subordinate to it. The study wanted to look at how hegemonic masculinity dictated the way men and their sexuality are seen in society.

A link to the study I'm talking about, if anyone is interested.

The researchers created three different scenarios of varying degrees of sexual activity (having casual sex, making out, and. For example: a man, who only had heterosexual dating history, hooked up with another man. Or: a woman with a heterosexual dating history hooking up with another woman. Participants were asked to decide whether or not the individual in question was gay, straight, or bisexual. To almost no one's surprise, the study did prove that male sexuality is definitely rigid and heavily policed. Men were far more likely to be labeled as gay or bi after a single same-sex encounter; whereas, women were not. The fictional men in the study were thought of as their sexuality being repressed, but women were just labeled as "experimental."

In order for men to cash in on the privileges that come with hegemonic masculinity, they need to adhere to its standards. The study showed that men who have one same-sex encounter were seen as anything but heterosexual, thereby disqualifying them from being a part of hegemonic masculinity. I found the study interesting because it really highlighted the norms of masculinity and how they affect how men are perceived by others.