The Listening to the Unheard Voices: Perceptions, Challenges and Coping Strategies of Hegemonic Masculinity among men in Pakistan

Abstract

Gender issues in Pakistan are increasingly prominent, with studies primarily focusing on women, while men are often absent, prompting a revisit of hegemonic masculinity (HM) definitions and patterns. Therefore, this research endeavored to analyze and understand the hegemonic masculinity construction, challenges, and copying strategies among men. Twenty adolescents and young adults who are married, unmarried, professionals in respective fields and students among others and aged between 19-40 years were used as the participants of the qualitative research. Purposeful sampling was employed to select all the participants who were interviewed through in depth semi-structured interview. The coding and thematic analysis method were used to analyze collected data. Normative perceptions, Performativity, Challenges and Copying Strategies of Hegemonic masculinity were the main themes of this research. Hegemonic masculinity dominates in Pakistan, but obstacles arise for boys and men, as they conceal identities and personal problems. Self-solving strategies are adopted, and recommendations are made.