Op-Ed Contributors

Debate: Metrosexuals

(China Daily)
Updated: 2011-02-14 07:46

Are today's young men less masculine than their predecessors? If the answer is yes, then what is the reason for that? A professor and a freelance writer provide us with their insights into the phenomenon.

Li Wendao

Gender division can still be restored

China's booming men's skincare market signifies the emergence of metrosexuals in the country. The continuing rise in the number of such men has overturned the traditional view that skincare is exclusively for women and sparked a debate on why more young Chinese men today appear gender neutral.

Being gender neutral is more than a trend. It reflects the changing behavior of an increasing number of young men and should be seen as a social phenomenon. Promoters of the gender-neutral concept (or trend) argue that such men reflect individuality, "narrow the gender gap" and eliminate gender prejudices. Some even say that the gender-neutral group is more competitive and creative.

Studies show that people with the combined characteristics of men and women are more flexible and mentally healthy than either totally masculine men or totally feminine women. Gender-neutral individuals, however, are not part of that category.

In Bem Sex Role Inventory, Sandra Bem challenges the traditional dualistic gender theory and classifies four gender-role orientations: masculine, feminine, androgynous as distinctly masculine and feminine, and undifferentiated, that is, neither specifically masculine nor feminine. The fourth applies to gender-neutral individuals, for they obscure gender roles and obstruct personal and social development.

The rise in the number of gender-neutral people can be attributed to several factors. First, many of the gender-neutral individuals were born in the 1980s or 1990s, and since they grew up after China introduced the family planning policy, most of them are the only child of their parents.

In traditional (conservative) families, the preference for sons, especially an only boy in the family perhaps outweighs everything else. Besides, given the trend of gender equality, many single-child parents push their daughters to become tough and independent like boys. Hence, the way a family treats a boy or a girl is becoming similar, blurring gender differences.

In addition, since an only child has no brother or sister, they do not acquire habits or develop traits that differentiate them from the other gender. No wonder many people say that compared to the older generation today's young men are less masculine and women less feminine.

Second, China's shift from an agricultural to industrial society is also responsible for the gender-neutral phenomenon. Economic transformation invalidates, though gradually, the traditional gender-based division of labor. With the age of brawn fading out and the age of brain fading in, men are no longer engaged only in work that is deemed typically manly; women in general, though, are still confined to playing the conventional role. As a result, masculinity is a trait that few men think worth pursuing.

Third, consumerism is sweeping across the country and, to a large extent, reshaping people's values. In recent years, TV talent shows such as Super Girls have "created" many gender-neutral stars. One such example is female singer Li Yuchun, who neither looks nor behaves like a woman. These shows blur gender differences and tend to reverse the standards of aesthetics. Worse, the appeal of these stars stimulates gender-neutral consumer habits, especially when it comes to clothes, which are targeted mostly at the younger generation.

Education, which can be subdivided into family and school factors, seems more important than the other causes determining an individual's gender traits. Traditionally, mothers pay more attention to children's education and spend more time with them than fathers. The frequent absence of a father figure deprives boys of a male role model needed for gender cognition.

Unfortunately, a male role model is not easy to find in schools, either. Female teachers generally outnumber their male counterparts from kindergarten to the upper classes of basic education and thus shoulder more responsibilities in orientating children. Viewed from this perspective, a majority of the boys grow up in an environment dominated by women, largely influencing their thinking and habits which become conspicuous when they grow up.

Furthermore, existing education programs do not include any formal course on gender cognition, and the gender-blind schooling system worsens the situation by treating boys and girls in the same way, disregarding the differences in their bodies and minds. Since girls are generally better in basic education, male students are encouraged to follow their female counterparts' example, which degrades their self-esteem.

The prevailing gender-neutral education system can thus misguide the younger generation, especially when it comes to young men's physical and mental orientation toward their gender roles. For example, compared with the mostly manly and sporting image of young men in the West, the image of bishonen, a Japanese term for beautiful boy, prevails in East Asian countries.

The further devaluing of masculinity will make Chinese men pay less attention to masculine physique. In fact, a survey on Chinese students' health shows that from 1985 to 2005, the physique of male students both in urban and rural areas has been declining steadily in terms of their running speed in short/long distances, capacity, vision, and other qualities. In contrast, the obesity rate among such students has been rising. So before it becomes harder for young men to maintain their masculine traits we have to deal with the gender-neutral phenomenon with greater urgency.

But economic transformation is irreversible and the country's family planning policy is not likely to change in the short run. The media now has to shoulder their social responsibility and promote the positive aspects of boys and girls instead of obscuring gender division and facilitating consumerism.

More importantly, parents should share the responsibility of educating their children equally and schools should devise their courses, ways of instruction and assessment mechanism to highlight differences in the roles of men and women. For example, schools could introduce hands-on projects to help prepare students for practical problems and offer a platform for gender role rehearsal.

The author is an associate professor of psychology at Capital Normal University. This is an excerpt of his interview with China Daily's Gao Zhuyuan.