APPLIED MICRO: Masculinity around the world; Professor Victoria Baranov (The University of Melbourne)

Abstract

This paper explores the socioeconomic roles of masculinity norms. We collect the first crosscultural evidence on men’s adherence to dominance masculinity norms from nationally representative, face-to-face surveys across 43 countries in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. Our analysis unveils substantial variation in adherence to these norms, both across and within countries, and identifies three domains where they exert significant influence. In the economic domain, adherence to dominance masculinity correlates positively with behaviors supporting economic growth, such as labor supply at the intensive margin, but also generates frictions by constraining occupational choice to traditionally masculine sectors. In the health domain, adherence to dominance masculinity is linked to more risk-taking, higher rates of depression, and shorter lifespans among men. In politics, it predicts both individual demand for strongman populism and its political supply at the country level. Across all domains, dominance masculinity norms play a role distinct from, and sometimes opposite to, social norms about women and gender roles.

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