Guyland Summary

The book Guyland is an analysis of the ways in which American guys, predominantly white and middle class, have adopted a new phase of life. Between the ages of sixteen and twenty-six, majority of guys are inevitably choosing to delay the tradition of getting married, starting a family, having a career and taking responsibility for their lives after high school. The main arguments of this book focus around the fact that guys are choosing to explore their options in regards to women and are refraining from engaging in anything that is permanent, or seen as a potential “setback” in life. Michael Kimmel discusses important topics that support his argument such as masculinity, competition among men, the act of silence, commitment, responsibility and the …show more content…
This method was effective because it supported his argument and convinced the reader that men in America are creating an alternative lifestyle to adulthood. Although he focused his interviews on athletes and guys in fraternities, he presented multiple perspectives by adding women’s views on the subject as well. The author’s research provided me with a new outlook of guys in subcultural groups because a few of his interviews included people among different ethnic groups. It was a surprise to me there is an extremely lower probability of Asian and African American guys participating in Guyland, in contrast to white males. Research shows that white males are highly influenced to maintain an overall masculine appearance and compare their masculinity to other males. The author did a great job of presenting his research by maintaining focus on white, middle-class males and using their self-reported examinations and perceptions of this relatively-new phase. In the future, I would recommend expanding research to other ethnic groups such as Asian and African American and comparing the