voters who value the concept of dominant masculinity are more likely to support president donald trump than those who do not, according to new research that sheds light on the appeal of the controversial commander in chief in the dying days of his administration.
the series of seven studies in the proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america, explores the appeal of “hegemonic masculinity” — a form of idealized manhood where white, heterosexual males hold status and power over women, gay men, minorities and pretty much everyone else.
this self-serving philosophy has some definite advantages, said theresa vescio, lead author and professor of psychology at pennsylvania state university,
according to cnn
. “what this work shows is that masculinity is not just an ideology that men strive to achieve — it’s something we value as a culture,” she said. “the beauty of masculinity as cultural ideology is we can get women to participate in it and endorse it, even though it’s subordinating them. we can get men of colour, low socioeconomic status men, gay men to endorse it even though it’s implicitly subordinating.”
half of the observational studies — which reveal correlation, not causation — found that people who endorsed the concept of a dominant male hierarchy were more likely to support the outgoing president. adherence to this ideology trumped whatever cocktail of sexist, racist or homophobic attitudes voters might also hold. it might also explain how trump’s popularity has grown among some white women and latino and black men.
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