There has been a shift in expectations regarding desired masculine behavior, these non-traditional messages are fostering an environment that is contributing to conflicts within men’s perception of gender acceptable identity. These changing gender norms in modern America have been widely acknowledged throughout gender literature (e.g., Aarseth,2009; Levant,2011; Marsiglio, Amato, Day & Lamb, 2000; O’Neil, 2015; Pleck 1987). One of the most prominent and widely accepted ways of understanding these changes in masculinity is through the lens of gender role conflict theory (Whorely & Addiss, 2006). Gender role conflict (GRC) is thought to occur when men’s adherence to traditionally strict male gender roles create conflicts with incompatible situational
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Men’s expression of gender-roles may be understood more completely by examining state-like and trait-like dimensions of GRC. Western (2008) and Addis, Mansfield and Syzdek (2010) and proposed that research on men and masculinity has not focused on the contextual nature of gendered social learning, and in order to build a more complete look at masculinity, researchers should begin to research the environments or states in which gender-roles are made salient. GRC has previously worked under the assumptions that GRC itself is relatively internal and stable (Jones & Heesaker, 2011). That is to say that the degree in which men experience GRC should not vary from one week to the next, between different situations or between different social roles (Jones & Heesaker, 2011). In his recent work, O’Neil addressed this critique and conceded that in order to gain a greater understanding of GRC and men’s masculinity it is beneficial that future research looks at situational context and environmental cues (O’Neil, 2015.) In an attempt to address these critiques, Liu (2005) asked participants to evaluate their experience with gender role conflict across different scenarios by assessing participants’ ideal GRC in comparison to participant’s ideal level of GRC (i.e., Who would you be in and ideal world?). Blazina and Jackson (2009)
Men’s expression of gender-roles may be understood more completely by examining state-like and trait-like dimensions of GRC. Western (2008) and Addis, Mansfield and Syzdek (2010) and proposed that research on men and masculinity has not focused on the contextual nature of gendered social learning, and in order to build a more complete look at masculinity, researchers should begin to research the environments or states in which gender-roles are made salient. GRC has previously worked under the assumptions that GRC itself is relatively internal and stable (Jones & Heesaker, 2011). That is to say that the degree in which men experience GRC should not vary from one week to the next, between different situations or between different social roles (Jones & Heesaker, 2011). In his recent work, O’Neil addressed this critique and conceded that in order to gain a greater understanding of GRC and men’s masculinity it is beneficial that future research looks at situational context and environmental cues (O’Neil, 2015.) In an attempt to address these critiques, Liu (2005) asked participants to evaluate their experience with gender role conflict across different scenarios by assessing participants’ ideal GRC in comparison to participant’s ideal level of GRC (i.e., Who would you be in and ideal world?). Blazina and Jackson (2009)