Under the stellar headline "Real Men Don't Take Dictation", the XX Factor blog points to a study that tries to examine why low-skilled men drop out of the work force in droves when economies transition from manufacturing to service focused. The short answer is that men feel these jobs conflict with their conception of masculinity -- in contrast to their old work of making or building or mining things, the new service jobs are more focused on deference, emotion, caring, and understanding.
File this under "patriarchy hurts men too".
UPDATE: The article might be behind a pay wall -- I don't know. But it is really good.
"A new study of unemployed men in Manchester, England..."
ReplyDeleteDidn't a movie set in Sheffield already resolve this problem of anguished masculinity?