Role Of Male Dominance In Michael Kimmel's Guylands

Improved Essays
STEM schools used to be acquired by men, but the traces of male preference in these fields continues to exist today. In Michael Kimmel’s Guyland, he argues that young men ages sixteen to twenty-six develop behaviors of hypermasculinity as a group in an effort to denounce feminism. However, the transition to maturity that happens afterwards as claimed by Kimmel does not take place as seen today. In America today, STEM fields display similar male attributive views as they appear in Guyland. STEM fields promote an attitude of male dominance because there are not enough women that obtain these jobs and men create an ego of superiority that view women as inferior. In addition, young people feel discouraged from their parents' perception of these …show more content…
In the world of math and science, women have struggled to manifest their presence in these professions. Editor Sarah Glazer says, “While women now earn 31 percent of chemistry PhDs and 27 percent of math doctorates they hold only 12 percent of chemistry faculty positions and 8 percent of math positions at the nation's research institutions.” Glazer’s statistics reveal that women do not receive similar value as men. Therefore, men are superior in the areas of STEM as before. Rather than receiving support, women feel undervalued, especially by men. Evidently the low percentages of both degrees and faculty positions have no relation to women refusing to continue their studies, rather women are increasing in test scores and STEM career majors. The low percentages are due to rejection and stereotypes given by men. Rejection as in science grants and other aid, which leads to the small percentages of women obtaining a job and stereotypes as in STEM being only for men. Through the improvement on behalf of women, despite their denial, continue to overcome the dominance of men in STEM …show more content…
Despite STEM being only for men in the past, the field continues to diminish the enrollment of women today. Having few women in STEM jobs, depicts the dominance of men in the field. Not enough women and more men in STEM, creates an attitude for men to feel superior and denounce any feminism present. The world of math and science becomes a liberation for men to build bonds and compete without women, which leads men to decide on giving other men grants and faculty positions as there is more trust involved. Ideally, men create a high status amongst each other, while women are regarded as below their ranking. Consequently, all of the sexism that results in STEM come from the custom of viewing men as breadwinners and the ones that hold the power, while women are more of homemakers and nurturers. This belief system of patriarchy is still occurring today in America, which is being past down to children and children are being negatively encouraged to spread the belief to their generation as well. Thus, young girls become less motivated to sustain goals in STEM and refer to other career choices, while young boys are given support to study a career in STEM. As a result, the fields in STEM reveal a favor for men because of the attitude that men develop, the minimum job positions that women have in STEM, and the perception that children are given by parents and teachers that change

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