Alpha Male, Beta Male

We had an interesting discussion going in my Canadian Politics discussion group today. The topic was gender roles, and the TA brought up the topic of masculism. He raised an interesting point when he said that men also have gender issues which should not be ignored. His point was that by trying to isolate men and women and create specific roles for them that are equal nevertheless, we are in fact losing track of the core issue. The goal should be that things be fair, not equal.

The concept of the alpha and beta male was brought up when discussing masculism. This seems very interesting to me. It would be interesting to study how men deal with these issues, because we almost appear to be schizophrenic at times. Women seem to desire the more beta-types (ie. gentler, smarter, kinder), but these characteristics are perceived as being less masculine based on whatever social constructions of masculinity that we have. The issue that was raised is that men also have certain gender limitations and requirements.

Men must act as alpha males amongst men -- signs of weakness are a bad thing, and group leadership must be achieved through a type of physical or character strength. Females demand that men be softer and more caring, traits which society has associated as being feminine. This is why it is so jarring to see the contrast of men interacting with different sexes. Somebody pointed out that women are maybe a little disconcerted now and are wondering where all the "real" men are, instead of these "girly boys". Women want their men to take control and play the traditional gender roles that society has defined, but instead they have been conditioned to be more subservient, caring, and gentle.

An interesting question to ask yourself is what man do you consider to be an example of ultimate masculinity, and what woman do you consider to be an example of femininity. There are no right and wrong answers, and I'd like to hear what you think about this question, as well as masculism and gender roles in general.