Glossary

* Dominant Hegemonic Masculinity:  The configuration of gender practice which embodies the currently accepted answer to the problem of the legitimacy of Patriarchy (Men's Lives, p. 77)

* Feminism: The study of gender, identity, stereotypes and generally critical assessment of self, culture, and media, especially patriarchy and other systems of inequality. It is also a movement to end sexism.

* Gender Capital: Each of us has a gender that is afforded varying levels of privilege in our patriarchal society. Sometimes the same gender that leaves us underprivileged can give us a boost when we are among our own kind. Identifying yourself as one race or sex or creed in different situations can have different results. Even though it is the same "gender capital" it can buy different experiences in different situations.

* The Glass Escalator: The notion that men are often fast-tracked into higher-paying, more powerful positions in the workplace compared to women in the same work. For example, this can be seen in schools and hospitals, with males being encouraged to become principals and doctors.

* Homosociality: involving social relationships between persons of the same sex and esp. between men. (Webster's 11th ed.)

* Masculinities:  There are many different images in our society about what a man should be and what it means to be a man.  We use the word masculinities (plural) to acknowledge the broad variety of man-hoods that different folks ascribe to.

* Patriarchy: Social organization marked by the supremacy of the father in the clan or family [or institution] and the disproportionate share of control and power [over women, children, and racial minorities].  (Webster's 11th ed.)

* Standpoint Theory:  The idea that each person holds a unique perspective on cultural conditions and environments due to their upbringing, experiences, environment, strengths and limitations. Race, class, gender, sexuality, religious affiliation, location, and so on are all factors in intersectional identities and standpoint theory. We value standpoint theory because it can expose environments and conditions in society that science and statistics find it difficult to penetrate. Standpoint is especially useful because it is centered on the human experience and not on arbitrary measurements.  Put simply, it's the critical examination from the personal perspective, but it's also the understanding of the juxtaposition of many different standpoints in our society.

* Subordinate Masculinities:  A manhood that is not mainstream dominant masculinity.  Homosexuals, racial minorities,  and gentle, soft spoken men are all displaying subordinate masculinities.

* System of Inequality: A cultural, institutional, or personal system that grants one kind of person privilege over another kind of person.




1: Kimmel, Michael S., and Michael A. Messner. Men's Lives. New York: Macmillan, 1992. Print.