Degrees of masculinity: working and middle class male undergraduates’ constructions of contemporary masculine identities

This chapter brings together reflections on the current perceived ‘crisis of masculinity’ and what might be seen as its opposing stance that society has undergone changes engendering the development of more inclusive forms of masculinity. We explore these issues by drawing upon recent research with young undergraduate men from working-class and middle-class backgrounds. We argue that the crisis of masculinity is somewhat overstated and men still enjoy privileged positions within the social order. Middle-class men in particular can present a veneer of inclusivity attuned to being a modern liberal man but when the surface is scratched we see a refashioning rather than a reforming of traditional male power relations. On the other-hand the working-class men of our study demonstrate elements of tension with constructions of masculinity that seems to be finding resolution in the emergence of more positive identifications. We therefore conclude that masculinity is neither in crisis nor radically reformed.