Are Caring Men “Masculine”? Empirical Analysis of the Plurality of Caring Masculinities

Abstract

Recent gender-equal policies focus on men’s involvement in care, employing a key concept of “Caring Masculinities” (CM) as ideal ways of being a man. However, some previous studies implied that men’s involvement in care has limited effects in promoting gender equality. In addition, sufficient evidence on the relationships among the various components of CM has not yet been obtained. Using survey data of fathers with children under seven years of age, we conducted a hierarchical cluster analysis of variables related to the components of CM. Our results reveal that men are diversified in a way that cannot be captured by the bipolar model of simply having a higher or lower degree of CM. Men with a higher frequency of caring behavior can be further differentiated into two types: the “Non-Traditional Masculinity” type, with non-traditional gender views and a higher quality of life, i.e. mental health and life satisfaction; and the “Conflicted Masculinity” type, with traditional gender views and a lower quality of life, regardless of the higher degree of caring attitude.