Masculinity in Universities: State of the Art

Abstract

This article provides the result of a review of existing masculinity research within the university context. The objective of the present study was to determine the topics of analysis, characteristics, and tendencies of recent studies in this field. A search was performed in Scopus and Ebsco, using the search terms: masculinity and university students, which yielded 72 studies for analysis. The most commonly-explored topics among the investigations reviewed were as follows: the construction of masculinity, masculine social norms and gender stereotypes, romantic relationships, masculinity and health, attitudes toward sexual minorities and their effects, masculinity and violence, and masculinity and alcohol consumption. It was concluded that the shaping of masculinity in the university environment is a complex experience, influenced by the intermixing of traditional masculinity and vested with cultural, social, historical, and personal factors.