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Date Available

5-31-2023

Year of Publication

2023

Document Type

Capstone

Degree Name

Doctor of Social Work (DSW)

Faculty

Laura Escobar-Ratliff, DSW

Abstract

The “Masculine mystique” refers to a psychological mask that men wear, enabling them to maintain power and distance themselves from traits associated with femininity” (Kahn, 2009, p. 283). This capstone project seeks to solve the Social Work Grand Challenge of improving the lives that hegemonic masculinity harms and limits. It emphasizes the relationship between the two areas of life (work-home), once thought to exist in different realms but are today more interwoven than ever (Lin & Burgard, 2018; Sok et al., 2014). Men have higher rates of traumatic injuries and exposure to significant physical risks, violence hazards, and stricter normative expectations within hegemonic masculinity in the workplace that otherwise allow them to voice concerns and ask for help (Stergiou-Kita et al., 2015). Of the 5,190 fatal occupational injuries in 2021, 4,741 were men (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2022). Occupational segregation, the systematic dispersion of people amongst vocations based on demographic attributes, profoundly influences an individual’s social and economic prospects, particularly their occupation (Hegewisch & Hartmann, 2014). Only 26 percent of males work in health, education, administration, and literacy (HEAL) fields, down from 35 percent in 1980 (Reeves, 2022).

The first chapter provides an overview of the project, gives insight into the subsequent chapters, and provides definitions of keywords and theories. In the second chapter, through a systematic literature review where 1,418,115 publications were narrowed to six, the author demonstrates how theory, childhood, and gendered language correlate to the impact of males’ interest in female-dominated occupations. Inclusion criteria charts are at the end of the chapter to define the population, intervention, comparator, outcomes, and study (PICOS) design for the sources that align with the research question, as well as rationale and flowcharts of the retrieval processes and a CASP Cohort Appraisal Tool – Full Report to demonstrate the quality and validity of the sources examined (Boland et al., 2017; Escobar-Ratliff, 2018).

Next, the third chapter conceptualizes from an intersectional and more inclusive lens and discovers these occupations are often male-dominated but female-majority, highlighting the glass escalator and the gender wage gap concepts. Thus, new theories to apply to these issues evolve, promoting the opportunity to see this as a systemic issue with potential solutions. The fourth chapter is a practice application which takes what Hampton (1969) said, “Theory is cool, but theory with no practice ain’t shit” (as cited in Malloy, 2017, p. 9). The author connects to the project through a scholarly personal narrative and discourses actions aligned to findings in implementation at their university of employment to help with the endeavor. The author discusses key findings throughout the research, including the suggestion that social workers can work with men in various settings to explore, investigate, and challenge the origins of toxic behaviors and expectations of masculinity. Lastly, further recommendations for masculinity education, incorporating intersectional and marginalized lenses for future research, and how social work education can assist with removing the “masc” on the systemic issue of occupational segregation and the challenges that follow are presented.

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