Modern Manhood in Crises.

 The term 'man' is usually reserved for an adult male of the human species while the term manhood is used to describe the period after he has transitioned from boyhood having attained male secondary sexual characteristics that symbolize his coming of age. Masculinity may vary in different cultures but has universal principles across cultures. Sometimes, gender scholars use the phrase ‘hegemonic masculinity’ to establish this universal concept.  Masculinity embodies assertiveness, responsibility, selflessness, ethics, sincerity and respect.  Masculinity itself has the social status that has strong associations with physical and moral strength. The biological inputs through hormones induce the masculinization process that redirects the biological processes from the default female route.  In many cultures, displaying characteristics not typical to one’s gender may become a social problem for the individual however labeling and conditioning are based on gender assumptions as part of socialization to match the local cultural template.

 In the primitive hunter-gatherer societies, men were often if not exclusively responsible for all large game killed, the capturing, raising and domesticating of animals, the building of permanent shelters, the defense of villages and other tasks where the male physique, strength and spatial-cognition are most useful. Evidence abounds to show that the Neolithic revolution by men that led to the status of prehistoric ranches was a product of the intimate knowledge of animal life. Each time the universally agreeable traits of manhood are challenged, anxiety and anger may be provoked leading to maladaptive behavioral patterns.

With the globalization of values, there is an increased objectification of both sexes. Although the actual stereotypes may have remained relatively constant, the value attached to masculine stereotypes may have changed over the past few decades since it is argued that masculinity is an unstable phenomenon and never ultimately achieved. However, the old ideals of manhood are getting obsolete just as the new is still invisible to us as we grope in darkness which forms the basis of manhood and masculinity crisis with grave mental health consequences in societies like ours in cultural transition. The typical modern African man has cognitive dissonance with respect to his roles as a traditional dominant male in the family as he also attempts to espouse the western ideas that compel him to recognize his wife as a partner in the business of raising the family. The traditional stereotypes of the father as the breadwinner and the mother as a homemaker are almost historical in the light of today’s economic realities.

The masculinity crisis ensues as men are in search of a role in modern societies since the traditional male attitudes are no longer in much demand anywhere. Deindustrialization which involves the replacement of old smokestack industries with new technologies has allowed more women to enter the labor force and reduced the demand for great physical strength. The gender warfare through feminism that questions male dominance over women and the rights which had been erstwhile granted on the basis of their sex. Masculinity crisis arises from the fundamental incompatibility between the core principle of modernity that all human beings are essentially equal (regardless of their sex) and the parochial tenet of patriarchy that men are naturally superior to women and thus destined to rule over them. The Nigerian situation is serious because the current mental health consequences of this crisis are enormous. A good number of the boys drop out of school,   indulge in cybercrime just as they come down with substance abuse disorder. There is a growing population of young men that lack the emotional maturity and capacity to give leadership in a home. True manhood which finds its expression in creative leadership, courage, protection and nurturing of the female gender is never developed as a result of the maladaptive coping strategies. It is equally disturbing that in most convocation ceremonies, the females may have 11 and only 1 for the males illustrating the manhood crisis emerging in Nigeria. The female employees appear more focused and competent than their male counterparts. A good number of today’s men were brought up by single mothers who were the first set to have experienced this masculinity crisis that saw these boys grow up without a man in the house. The single mothers effectively train the girls while the boys play the role of surrogate husbands as he does not take responsibility in the house with reckless access to mummy ’s money and car while his female siblings plan the budget and do house chores. The boy now grows to become irresponsible and turn round to invoke the traditional attributions of dominance without responsibility resulting in high rates of divorce, growing population of marriageable ladies without matured young men to marry them. The increasing rate of mental health disturbances in this cohort is alarming and the situation requires urgent attention from all stakeholders.   

Dr. Adeoye Oyewole
adeoyewole2000@yahoo.com
+234 8034905808 (WhatsApp only)