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Article
“I Mean, We’re Guys” Constructing Gender at an All-Male Trade School
Journal of Adolescent Research
  • Miriam R. Arbeit
  • Rachel M. Hershberg, University of Washington Tacoma
  • Sara K. Johnson
  • Jacqueline V. Lerner
  • Richard M. Lerner
Publication Date
6-25-2015
Document Type
Article
Abstract

For young men, the transition to adulthood may be a time of heightened adherence to traditional gender roles and norms of masculinity. However, recent research with young men in gender-specific contexts has indicated that some contexts support a construction of masculinity that is more inclusive. Through a theoretical thematic analysis of interviews with young men in their first week at an all-male trade school, we explored if and how participants talked about gender and its role in their lives, how these discussions of gender may reflect individual gender ideologies, and how these discussions may inform participants’ experiences in particular developmental contexts. The themes we identified included the following: Becoming a man as an active process, experiences of male embodiment of size and strength, intersections of school identity and being a man, students’ perceptions of their all-male school environment and what it means to not have female classmates, and their reflections on the parts of themselves they see as feminine. We discuss the implications of our findings for future research with adolescents and young adults in relation to gender, relationships, and professional development.

DOI
10.1177/0743558415590659
Publisher Policy
pre-print, post-print
Citation Information
Miriam R. Arbeit, Rachel M. Hershberg, Sara K. Johnson, Jacqueline V. Lerner, et al.. "“I Mean, We’re Guys” Constructing Gender at an All-Male Trade School" Journal of Adolescent Research (2015) p. 1
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/rachel-hershberg/4/