Masculinity, Social Construction of

Debates about the nature of what it means to be a woman or man have existed since humans began recording written language. However, the nature of the conversation about masculinity and femininity evolves and changes at a rapid pace. One explanation for the fluid nature of gendered behaviors comes from social constructionism, or the philosophical view referring to the ways a society builds or creates reality through social interactions. It may help to think of social constructionism as a set of hidden or expressed rules about what we accept as truths in society. More specifically, it is a sociological view that considers how we use language to describe and make meaning in social contexts. For example, a social constructionist might argue that a concept like ...