Cause And Effect Of Masculinity

The word violence does not exclusively refer to actions that cause bodily harm; in contrast, violence can be inflicted emotionally and sexually as well (Effects of masculinity, sex, and control). Both males and females utilize violence as a way to manipulate others (Effects of masculinity, sex, and control). Consequently, gender alone does not sufficiently account for all violent behavior. Factors that influence a person’s proclivity to behave violently include their age (the relationship of violence to gender), their recent environment (Guns, testosterone, and aggression), their religiosity (the relationship of violence to gender), whether he or she has been a victim of violence (effects of masculinity, sex, and control), and even their prenatal …show more content…
However, it is important to note that masculine is not synonymous with male and feminine is not synonymous with female. Males may be feminine and females may be masculine. For example, according to a study pertaining to the contributing factors of violence within relationships, females tend to be more mentally abusive to their romantic partners than males are to theirs (effects of masculinity); however, when gender is factored out and the relationship between masculinity/femininity and mental violence is evaluated independently, high masculinity correlates with psychological violence whereas high femininity actually lowers the odds of it occurring. In this instance, gender norms and gender produce two opposite effects. High masculinity seems to be strongly associated with this type of violence between significant others, yet females are more strongly affiliated with this violent behavior than are males. Equating gender with gender norm, according to Prospero’s research, would not sufficiently account for the forces that influence the propensity a person may have to harm someone else. Another study that highlights the subtle differences between a person’s sex and their compatibility with gender typicality was conducted by (aggression, gender typical) with the purpose of assessing for a correlation between finger length ratio and aggression. Finger ratio is determined in the womb before a person is born by the level of exposure one has to certain hormones such as testosterone; consequently, it serves as an insightful and effective indicator of biology’s influence on personality and behavioral development. Individuals whose finger ratios indicated that they were exposed to more testosterone in the womb tended to be more masculine and aggressive, whereas those whose finger rations indicated that they had less exposure to testosterone in the womb tended to be less violent. While males did have higher aggression scores on average,