In Michael Kimmel’s publication on the study of masculinity for the International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, he affirms his belief that institutions create gender differences. What Kimmel means by this statement is that employers in various institutions often expect behaviors that can gender the employee automatically as a man, such as not having family responsibilities and having single-minded devotion to their job. He goes on to mention the view of sociologist Joan Acker, who considers that this structuring of the workplace can leave room for inequality between men and women. This might explain why, in Man Enough Episode 4 – #MeToo, entrepreneur Karen Alston was pressured into being in a relationship with her boss in exchange for a promotion.
Kimmel also comments that: “Understanding how we do masculinities […] opens up the unimaginable possibilities of social change.” He pluralizes masculinity because he believes that the variations of gender are so large across different cultures that we cannot speak of only one type of masculinity. He states that that gender ought to be viewed as a continuously changing aggregation of meanings and behaviors; therefore masculinities is more fitting. In the fourth episode of Man Enough, many of the men discuss that they live their masculinity differently. For instance, entrepreneur and former professional athlete Lewis Howes mentions how his behavior is often not seen as being masculine by those around him. He is an affectionate man who establishes physical contact with others and likes to give hugs. He recalls the time he put his hand on his friend’s shoulder, but was stopped and was told: ”Don’t be gay.” Additionally, it could be said that this whole episode displays a behavior that is often not attributed to manliness: sitting around a table and talking about your worries and life experiences!
Lovers and Fighters | Section 22 