Masculine femininities/feminine masculinities: power, identities and gender

Paechter, Carrie F.. 2006. Masculine femininities/feminine masculinities: power, identities and gender. Gender and Education, 18(3), pp. 253-263. ISSN 09540253 [Article]

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Abstract or Description

This paper is basically about terminology. In it I discuss the terms 'masculinity' and 'femininity' and how they relate to being male and being female. My theme arises from an increasing difficulty that I am finding in understanding how individual identities relate to dominant constructions of masculinity and femininity. Christine Skelton and Becky Francis argue that we should not be afraid to name certain behaviours as masculine even when they are performed by girls. After a discussion of the problems of defining both 'masculinity' and 'femininity', and a consideration of the power relations between these terms, I go on to consider the concept of 'female masculinity' (Halberstam). I argue that this formulation is problematic, due to its dependence on a main term whose definition is unclear. Finally, I argue that we need to distinguish 'masculinity' and 'femininity' from 'masculinities' and 'femininities'.

Item Type:

Article

Identification Number (DOI):

https://doi.org/10.1080/09540250600667785

Departments, Centres and Research Units:

Educational Studies

Dates:

DateEvent
May 2006Published

Item ID:

1551

Date Deposited:

12 Mar 2009 15:41

Last Modified:

29 Apr 2020 15:27

Peer Reviewed:

Yes, this version has been peer-reviewed.

URI:

https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/1551

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