Men’s Studies
Men’s studies – also referred to as social andrology – emerged in the 1980s in response to the growing influence of the feminist movement and to the tendency within women’s studies to examine gender relations primarily from the standpoint of women’s experience. Among the factors that contributed to the development of men’s studies were the rethinking of the male gender role, the recognition of its limitations, and the desire to challenge rigid sex-role stereotypes.
In the late 1980s and 1990s, men’s studies expanded the field of gender studies by introducing masculinity and sexuality as distinct areas of scholarly inquiry. This shift contributed to a broader concept of gender, no longer understood as being connected exclusively with women’s experience.
The main scholarly orientations and research areas within men’s studies include the analysis of masculinity, manhood, the male gender role, discrimination against men, transformations of the image of men and male gender roles, male identity, fatherhood, homophobia, homosexuality, male prostitution, and related issues.
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