Men Are Stoic, or Are They?: Emotional Suppression in Men and its Relation with Masculinity Norms

Abstract

Boys learn to be men from the men in their lives, from their own experiences navigating our social norms, and from the large social and cultural context. Gender role expectations and gender role conventions have been forced on individuals all around the world for decades. These expectations are especially high in a country like India, where social conventions are rigorous. This study aimed to explore the level of adherence to masculine role norms and its impact on emotional expression among the young adult men and middle-aged men population. The sample size was 50 men in each of the groups. Moreover, focus group discussions were conducted to understand the causes of emotional suppression in men. Independent sample t tests results revealed that there are no significant differences in the emotional expression and level of adherence for the young adult and middle-aged population. Regression analyses revealed that there is a significant relationship between level of emotional expression and adherence to male role norms (16%) in the young adults’ population. (If the level of adherence to masculine norms increases, emotional expression decreases). There is no significant relationship between emotional expression and adherence to male role norms (5%) in the middle-aged population. The conduction of focus group discussions gave clarity as to how there are multiple reasons for these results.