The Evolution of Masculinity in Singapore march 2017

Kay Hui
What Does “Being a Man” Mean to You?
The Evolution of Masculinity…
23 February 2017

Kay Hui
… in Singapore
23 February 2017
Then
1960s
Now
2010s
&

Masculinity1
/ˌmaskjʊˈlɪnɪti/
Noun:
• Qualities or attributes regarded as
characteristic of men
• ‘Handsome, muscled, and driven, he's a
prime example of masculinity.’
The Evolution of Masculinity in Singapore | February 2017 | © Kay Hui 2017 3
Looking at the typical definitions of
1 The Oxford Dictionary

Femininity
/ˌfɛmɪˈnɪnɪti/
Noun:
• The quality of being female;
womanliness.
• ‘She celebrates her femininity by
wearing make-up and high heels.’
Versus the concept, definitions and dimensions of

Initially separating biology from the meanings people attach to gender
I quickly found out that
in their minds
• Gender
• Biology
• Social convention
• Personal
experience
Are all inextricably
linked to their concepts
of masculinity (and
femininity, and
anything in between)

… as society develops and shifts, those definitions do too.
Where do you (does society) draw the line in the sand?
Because people’s definitions are a snapshot of a point in time
Masculinity
then
Masculinity
now
Masculinity
in the future?

What do people think?

Talking to five Singaporean men aged 25-72
Hui Keen Ming, 72
Retired aircraft engineer
Born in 1945
Patrick Lim, 62
Counsellor & Therapist
Born in 1955
Cheng Hiap Choon, 48
Singapore Armed
Forces Personnel
Born in 1969
Hui Ken Wei, 38
Banker
Born in 1979
Gabriel Ong, 25
National University of
Singapore Final Year
Student
Born in 1992

… And women aged 25-69
Chan Yuet Yee, 69
Retired Executive Assistant
Born in 1948
Married to
Chrys Hu-Lim, 62
Homemaker & Masterchef
Born in 1955
Married to
Hui Soh Yin, 48
Ex-Engineer now Stay-
At-Home-Mom
Born in 1969
Married to
Evonne Lek, 41
Psychotherapist
Born in 1978
Desiree Lim, 25
Project Executive
Born in 1992

Back then, masculinity was very structured and rigid
Masculinity
then
Dad Cad
The Dad/Cad2
dichotomy of masculinity
Dads
• Getting married and establishing a family was the mark of the maturity
of a man
• To their family, it was men’s responsibility to provide (financially, food)
and protect
• To their country, men fought and served as soldiers
• Expected to fix things
Cads
• Being known in the market place (through legitimate power or
violence) commanded respect and awe
• A masculine man was one who ruled, no matter what
• Leaders were in place to solve their families’ or followers problems
Whether a Dad or a Cad:
• Masculinity was seen as “outside the home”
• Society was structured more rigidly
• There was less flow of knowledge/information – you didn’t know what
you didn't know
2 Byrne Hobart, Quora.com

Over the decades, more dimensions of masculinity developed
Masculinity
then
Dad Cad
The Dad/Cad2
dichotomy of masculinity
Masculinity
now
The multifarious
polychotomy of masculinity
2 Byrne Hobart, Quora.com
Looking broadly at an overview of
the evolution of masculinity as
opposed to an in-depth charting of
specific movements of dimensions
year-on-year, or decade-on-decade.

The new masculinity has many faces and wears many masks
Masculinity
now
The multifarious
polychotomy of masculinity
A man might still be expected to
… fix things but not know how to…
… provide but in different ways and choose to be a stay-at-home-husband…
… identify as a man but experiment flamboyantly with fashion
What was once deemed non-masculine, today does not preclude from
masculinity.
… Being in touch with feelings…
… Having a softer side…
… Communicating…
… Doing household chores…
Once seen as the traits of femininity, are no longer emasculating
And types of masculinity have ballooned from dichotomous to polychotomous
... The Stud ∙ Mr. Fashion Week ∙ The Athlete ∙ The Rugged Man…
… The House Husband ∙ The Man Child ∙ The Handyman ∙ The Geek…
… The Hipster ∙ The Weirdo ∙ The Sexy Bad Boy…
3
3 Katherine Arteche, The Smart Local

So what’s happening to masculinity,
and why is it even important?

1. Masculinity is still a desired ideal but the goalposts have moved
Chart 1
This model
4
by Everett Rogers’ seeks to explain how,
why, and at what rate new ideas spread.
Chart 2
Society is made up of multiple such idea diffusion
curves that show the emergence and dissolution of
ideas and concepts, rules and norms.
Therefore
Masculinity, in this view, is not a constant,
universal essence, but rather an ever-changing fluid
assemblage of meanings and behaviors that vary
dramatically. Thus we speak of masculinities, in
recognition of the different definitions of manhood
that we construct. By pluralizing the term, we
acknowledge that masculinity means different
things to different groups of men at different
times
5
.
- Michael Kimmel, Professor of Sociology,
Stony Brook University, New York
2.5%
Innovators
13.5%
Early
Adopters
34%
Early
Majority
34%
Late
Majority
16%
Laggards
Chart 1
Chart 2
4 Source: Everett Rogers, Diffusion of Innovations, 1962
5 Source: Global Masculinities: Restoration and Resistance
“
”

1. Masculinity is still a desired ideal but the goalposts have moved
A masculine man needs to be a
real man. He must dress like one, talk
like one, and act like one... I just can’t accept
men who dress like women. I know some of
my friends can, but I can’t…

2. Singapore’s continued path from collectivism to individualism has
spawned even more dimensions of masculinity
Singapore has developed from a largely
collectivist (as most Asian cultures are) society
towards one that prizes individuality
• Birth rates have been decreasing since
Singapore’s independence, with the tipping
point in 1975
6
• With more families having only one or two
children, kids became their parents’ little
darlings (小宝贝)
• Singapore’s Generation X were the first
people to move to an individualist mindset
away from the country’s collectivist past.
Mr. Hipster is dead. All hail
Mr. Yuccie!7
Young Urban Creatives. A slice of Gen Y, borne of
suburban comfort, indoctrinated with the
transcendent power of education, and infected by
the conviction that not only do we deserve to pursue
our dreams; we should profit from them.
6 Source: Source: World Bank data
7 Source: David Infante, Mashable 2015

2. Singapore’s continued path from collectivism to individualism has
spawned even more dimensions of masculinity
“We were not fortunate enough to be able
choose back then. We did what we had to. We took
care of the family. It was always family first. That’s
what being a real man was in those days. These days
young people – both sexes – are lucky. They have less
pressure to do what society expects of them. They can
do what they want, choose what they want. You know
when you decided to go to London to work and Mom
was against it but you went anyway. Think most girls
would have even thought of that back then?

3. The future of masculinity (and femininity) is irrelevant
A job, which was a key dimension that defined masculinity in the past is
no longer so
• In 2016, the workforce was 45.8% female
8
• Female Singaporean millennials are the most independent,
globally
9
Today, what is expected of men is also expected of women
(and vice versa).
• Traditionally masculine dimensions – responsibility, financial
provision, problem-solving, level-headedness, rationality – are also
expected of women
• Embracing the more nurturing side of femininity – communication,
empathy, concern – is the mark of strength
of a man
Masculine or sissy? Who cares?
8 Source: Ministry of Manpower, Manpower Research & Statistics Department, Labour Force in Singapore 2016
9 Source: Human Resources Magazine
10 Source: World Bank data
10

3. The future of masculinity (and femininity) is irrelevant
“I like cooking. You know my
“nom nom nom diaries” album on
Facebook filled with my food! No one
believes that I can cook because I’m such a
guy with my football. Maybe cooking’s too
girly but my mother’s a great cook and I
learnt from the best. Helped me a lot in
Berlin when I was by myself.”
“My dad fixes things around the
house and things like punching extra
holes in my handbag strap. And he also does
the ironing. Not every guy today can do
that. I think I know more about using tools
that some guys I know. It’s not that I can’t
do these things for myself, but sometimes it’s
nice when a guy does it for you.”

5 Source: averageheight.com
Looking into the crystal ball
Biology will always play a role, however big or small,
… Men are bigger and taller11, therefore physical strength is a
physical trait that could make lifting heavy things easier
But really,
Will masculinity (and femininity)
really matter?

References
1. The Oxford Dictionary, https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/masculinity
2. Byrne Hobart
https://www.quora.com/How-has-the-concept-of-masculinity-evolved-over-the-last-fifty-years
3. Katherine Arteche, The Smart Local
http://thesmartlocal.com/read/types-of-guys
4. Everett Rogers, Diffusion of Innovations, 1962
5. Global Masculinities: Restoration and Resistance, by Michael Kimmel
6. World Bank data
7. David Infante, Mashable 2015
http://mashable.com/2015/06/09/post-hipster-yuccie/#jVmJOhXnliqU
8. Ministry of Manpower, Manpower Research & Statistics Department, Labour Force in Singapore 2016
9. Human Resources Magazine
http://www.humanresourcesonline.net/female-singaporean-millennials-independent-globally/
10. Source: World Bank data
11. http://averageheight.com

Kay Hui
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kayhui/
Mobile +65 8189 2808
Skype Kay.Hui

The Evolution of Masculinity in Singapore march 2017

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