School of Geography, Politics and Sociology, Newcastle University.
Br J Sociol. 2010 Dec;61(4):737-56. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-4446.2010.01339.x.
This article seeks to extend understandings of heterosexual masculine identities through an examination of young men's constructions of what motivates young men to engage in heterosexual practices and relationships, and what not having sex might mean for them. Using the masculinity literature and work on heterosexuality to frame the discussion and to contextualize the findings, it explores the complex dynamics that frame the relationship between masculinity and heterosexuality. Specifically, how dominant or 'hegemonic' discourses of heterosexuality shape young men's identities, beliefs and behaviour. It considers these questions using empirical data from a qualitative study of young people living in close-knit working-class communities in the North East of England, with a specific focus on cultural and social attitudes towards sexuality and sexual practices. Peer group networks are a key site for the construction and (re)production of masculinity and, therefore, an important arena within which gendered social approval and acceptance is both sought and gained. In this article, I explore the reasons why young men engage in specific types of heterosexual practice in order to gain social approval. A central question is the extent to which heterosexuality is compelling for young men. That young men do feel compelled to behave in certain ways sexually, behaviours that they may be uncomfortable with and/or dislike, and the fact that they feel they are restricted in terms of how they can talk about their experiences within their peer group networks, demonstrates the power of dominant discourses of masculinity in everyday life. This is addressed through an examination of the restrictive effects of normative discourses about male heterosexuality, including their privatizing effects, which suggest that youth masculinities are often experienced in ways that are highly contradictory requiring young men to adopt a range of strategies to deal with this.
本文旨在通过考察年轻男性对促使他们从事异性恋行为和关系的动机以及不发生性行为对他们意味着什么的看法，来拓展对异性恋男性身份的理解。本文利用男性气质研究文献和异性恋研究成果来构建讨论框架，并将研究发现置于具体背景下，探讨了构成男性气质与异性恋关系的复杂动态。具体来说，异性恋的主导或“霸权”话语如何塑造年轻男性的身份、信仰和行为。本文利用在英格兰东北部紧密型工人阶级社区中对年轻人进行的定性研究的实证数据来探讨这些问题，特别关注对性和性行为的文化和社会态度。同伴网络是构建和（再）塑造男性气质的重要场所，因此也是寻求和获得性别社会认可的重要领域。在本文中，我探讨了年轻男性从事特定类型异性恋行为以获得社会认可的原因。一个核心问题是异性恋对年轻男性的吸引力有多大。年轻男性确实感到被迫以某种方式进行性行为，这些行为他们可能感到不舒服甚至不喜欢，而且他们觉得自己在同伴网络中谈论自己的经历时受到限制，这表明主流男性气质话语在日常生活中具有强大的影响力。这一点通过考察关于男性异性恋的规范话语的限制作用来解决，包括其私有化效应，这些效应表明，青年男性气质往往以高度矛盾的方式被体验，需要年轻男性采取一系列策略来应对这种情况。
