Are fathers a crucial part in shaping sons' attitude to masculinity? - study

A recent study published in SpringerLink has highlighted the crucial role fathers play in shaping their sons' attitudes towards masculinity and gender roles. 

The peer-reviewed study, based on data from a national survey in Australia, found a positive correlation between fathers' and sons' attitudes toward masculinity, with the correlation being stronger in more religious households.

The lead author of the study noted that fathers have a unique opportunity to model positive behaviors for their sons and help break the cycle of toxic masculinity that can lead to abusive behavior. 

Understanding intergenerational persistence is crucial for policymakers, as it can inform policies aimed at reducing social inequality and increasing social mobility.

Like father, like son

The study relied on data gathered from 839 pairs of young men and their fathers who were asked to answer a survey. The survey asked about the men's feelings on the significance of work and social status for their personal identity, showing emotions and being self-reliant, risk-taking and violence, appearing hetero-sexual and the number of sexual partners and winning and dominating others, especially women.

By scoring the surveys out of 100, the researchers concluded that on average, fathers were less traditionally masculine than their sons but that sons who were more traditional in their views on masculinity also had fathers who were more traditional in their views.

Interestingly, the study found that the degree to which fathers and sons had similar masculinity ideology was not affected by socio-demographic characteristics, except for parental religiosity, which was found to moderate intergenerational correlations. 

However, the study had limitations, including the absence of direct information on kinship relationships between sons and father figures and a relatively modest reliability score on the items comprising the masculinity ideology scale.

The study was based on data from the Ten to Men study, which only allowed for consideration of intergenerational correlations in masculinity for young men who co-resided with their fathers. 

Further research is needed to explore the transmission of masculinity ideology in non-co-residential families.

Overall, the findings of the study suggest that fathers play an important role in shaping their sons' adherence to masculinity ideology, and further research is needed to understand the nuances of this relationship. 

Based on their findings, the researchers suggested that policies and programs that seek to promote healthy masculinity and discourage toxic masculinity should aim to target both fathers and sons and not just the young men.