ABSTRACT
Such change has already begun, but has been so threatening to hegemonic masculinity that it has been seen as being at the expense of males. It is significant, for example, that as soon as young women succeeded in moving towards some degree of equity in the outcomes of school leaving examinations, this was interpreted in the popular media as being to the detriment of their male colleagues, and moves were made to amend the examination system once again to favour young men (Weiner et al., 1997). Talk of a ‘crisis in masculinity’ associated with the loss of traditional male employment in the UK and elsewhere, reflects the persistently strong connections between hegemonic masculine forms and the image of the labouring male as breadwinner. This, however, has not been matched by concern about the continuing inequities in pay and promotional opportunities offered to women, both within and outside of traditional ‘female’ employment areas. The Othering of women has meant that the loss of ‘masculine’ jobs and the parallel increase in low-level, ‘service’ employment traditionally carried out by women has been seen as a triumph for women over men. This discourse overlooks the overwhelming male dominance that remains in the traditional professions and in the higher echelons of the business world.
