A recent Pew Research Center report delves into how Americans perceive men and masculinity, as well as gender roles in general, revealing shifting cultural attitudes. As conversations around gender roles and responsibilities evolve, this research provides valuable insights into public perceptions of both masculinity and femininity.
The study indicates that Americans are largely divided in their perceptions of masculinity today — especially among partisan and gender lines. Traditional notions of what it means to be a man—strength, stoicism, and leadership—are being reexamined and challenged among leftists, while a majority of respondents continue to endorse these conventional traits on the political right. Democrats were more likely to embraces a broader understanding of masculinity that includes emotional vulnerability, collaboration, and supportiveness.
Generational differences also shape attitudes toward masculinity and gender roles, with younger Americans tending to embrace more progressive views, advocating for gender equality and rejecting traditional expectations.
Proponents of traditional masculinity like Tucker Carlson, Andrew Tate, Jake Paul, and Jordan Peterson have been influential among younger generations, encouraging them to break from the trends popular among their peers and reject what some call the “feminization” of men.
Pew Research reports:
A much larger share of Republican men than Democratic men rate themselves as highly masculine (53% vs. 29%). The partisan difference is much more modest among women: 38% of Republican women see themselves as highly feminine, compared with 32% of Democratic women.
Democrats are more likely to embrace progressive views that challenge traditional gender norms, and encourage men to adopt more traditionally feminine traits. In contrast, Republicans tend to uphold a conventional view of masculinity, emphasizing traits like toughness and leadership. This divide magnifies the relationship between political affiliation and cultural attitudes.
At the Democratic National Convention in a segment with Jake Tapper and Abigail Phillip, Dana Bash acknowledged that the Democrats lack appeal to the “testosterone laden” men that Trump has easily been able to capture.
Days ago, a pro-Kamala ad was published with the intent of swaying male voters, featuring actors posing as farmers, mechanics, and gym enthusiasts, voicing their support for Kamala Harris and women’s rights, but it backfired, drawing criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike, who called it “cringe inducing,” “inauthentic,” and “condescending.”
Kamala Harris has famously struggled with male voters across age groups, races, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Despite her poor polling numbers with men, she’s prioritized appearing on podcasts like Call Her Daddy, with an overwhelmingly female audience, while failing to nail down a date with Joe Rogan, who has the most popular podcast in the country and a massive male audience.
Pew Research continues:
But among Republican men, 45% do think people have negative views of masculine men, and the vast majority of those who feel this way say this is a bad thing. Much smaller shares of Republican women (24%), Democratic men (20%) and Democratic women (13%) say people view masculine men negatively. (Republicans and Democrats include those who lean toward either party.)
Amid these conversations, we asked 6,204 U.S. adults about their views on men and masculinity. Our survey covered traits people think are valued too much or too little in men these days; how acceptable they think certain behaviors are in men; and how they think men have fared relative to women in various aspects of life. The survey was conducted Sept. 3-15, 2024.1
