Research shows that younger men are more progressive than their older peers. | Samantha Sophia on Unsplash
What you probably already know: “Toxic masculinity” is seemingly on the rise because of popular social media influencers like Andrew Tate, shows like Netflix’s The Adolescence and political and cultural shifts in America and other nations. However, a recent YouGov study examining the beliefs of young men in the United Kingdom on issues ranging from gender equity, misogyny and masculinity finds that while younger men do, indeed, identify with many traits often associated with toxic masculinity, they’re also more likely to hold more progressive attitudes than older generations. The study says: “It is worth noting that, in all cases, potentially misogynistic views among young men are in the minority.”
Why it matters: This and other studies — including one from Pew Research Center last year — suggest that toxic masculinity and misogyny are exaggerated. The Pew study, conducted shortly before the 2024 U.S. presidential election, found that only about 25% of Americans have mostly negative views of masculine men, and majorities of both men and women say certain behaviors often associated with “toxic masculinity” are unacceptable. The Pew study also notes that six in 10 Americans say people don’t place enough value on men who are caring or open about their emotions.
What it means: Though most men don’t exhibit harmful behavior, cultural norms blasted across social media often pressure them to suppress emotions or devalue women. Formidable recently reported a disturbing trend: Boys are falling behind in school in almost every metric. “The result is teenage boys are increasingly susceptible to extremism and misogyny directly delivered to them by social media,” adding that Adolescence centers around a teenage boy who attacks a female classmate after his exposure to radical content online. Research led by University College London finds that “social media algorithms amplify misogynistic content to teens.” “Harmful views are now becoming normalized among young people,” principal investigator Dr. Kaitlyn Regehr says. “Online consumption is impacting young people’s offline behaviors, as we see these ideologies moving off screens and into schoolyards.”
What happens next: The phrase “toxic masculinity” has become unquestionably polarizing, but it’s decidedly nuanced. There are some positive signs: The 14th annual Singles in America Study from dating site Match and the Kinsey Institute reports that the “alpha” fixation is out and the alpha male persona “seems to be losing ground,” as traits most closely associated with healthy masculinity are kindness and empathy. Most women say they can spot toxic masculinity by the third date. The American Psychological Association adds that “shifting away from masculine constructs to promote a healthy masculine identity in childhood” could prevent harmful masculinity later in life.
