Premium
“We're Supposed to Look Like Girls, But Act Like Boys”: Adolescent Girls’ Adherence to Masculinity Norms
Author(s) -
Rogers Leoandra Onnie,
Yang Rui,
Way Niobe,
Weinberg Sharon L.,
Bennet Anna
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of research on adolescence
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.342
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1532-7795
pISSN - 1050-8392
DOI - 10.1111/jora.12475
Subject(s) - masculinity , psychosocial , psychology , nationality , ideology , developmental psychology , social psychology , politics , immigration , psychiatry , political science , psychoanalysis , law , archaeology , history
In the ecological systems perspective, gender ideologies are part of the macrosystem that shapes human development. A growing literature indicates that youth accommodate and resist such ideologies, with adherence to masculinity norms being linked with negative adjustment. Most masculinity research focuses on boys’ adherence to masculinity, but girls are also pressured to uphold masculinity norms. Using mixed modeling, we examined girls’ adherence to masculinity and psychological (self‐esteem, depressive symptoms) and social (peer support and conflict) well‐being in the United States ( N = 407; M age = 12.28) and China ( N = 356; M age = 12.41). In both countries, adherence to masculinity was negatively associated with psychosocial well‐being. Chinese girls reported greater masculinity adherence, but associations with psychosocial well‐being were not moderated by nationality.