“‘Toxic masculinity is toxic terminology,'” Barry told PsyPost. “We all need to stop using toxic terminology such as ‘toxic masculinity’, because it is possible these ideas are being internalized by men and boys and impacting them negatively. In some cases, men with serious mental health problems may ‘act out’ in antisocial behaviors, so it is likely that toxic terminology – in the media, schools, government and elsewhere – is actually increasing the likelihood of behaviors they are intended to reduce. Instead, it might help if we highlight more the ways that masculinity can be a positive influence on men and society.”
Across age groups, men generally agreed that their sense of masculinity was associated with feeling protective towards women. However, the study revealed interesting generational differences in how masculinity influences violent attitudes towards women. Older men, more than their younger counterparts, disagreed with the notion that masculinity “makes me inclined to be violent toward women.” On average, men over the age of 60 largely disagreed with this proposition, whereas men under the age of 40 were notably more inclined to agree with it.
“Men who felt protective towards women had better mental wellbeing, whereas those who felt violent to women had lower mental wellbeing,” Barry said. “I was surprised and saddened that younger men, below around age 35 or 40, think masculinity makes them feel violent towards women. I suspect this self-concept is due to the influence of negative concepts about masculinity perpetuated in our culture in recent decades.”