When do male "manhood threats" start?

A new study finds that so-called “fragile masculinity” begins at puberty, with boys feeling pressure to look like men.

The term refers to anxiety among men when they feel they are not meeting the expectations of their gender. It can motivate men to try to appear more confident, show more aggression, while suppressing feelings of emotion, compassion, and empathy.

Now, researchers have found that this behavior appears as early as puberty, with teenage boys responding violently when they believe their masculinity is threatened.

The study included more than 200 teenagers in the United States, aged 10 to 14, who reported the extent to which their motivations for masculinity stemmed from the desire to be accepted by others.

They then played a game in which they were told that their answers were either typical for their gender (similar to other boys) or atypical and similar to girls' answers. This was followed by a cognitive task measuring aggression.

Parents also answered specific questions to help gauge the age of puberty in their teens, for example, if they noticed a change in their son's voice or the beginning of facial hair growth.

The analysis revealed that adolescent boys in mid- and late-puberty responded aggressively when they felt their gender was threatened. Aggression was found to be more prevalent among boys who were pressured by others to be "men."

“Male aggression poses challenges to societies around the world, ranging from public safety to intimate personal relationships,” said lead researcher Andrei Cimpian, of New York University. “By identifying when and why some boys begin to display aggressive responses to threats to masculinity, this study represents a first step in preventing the development of ‘fragile’ masculinity (i.e., one that needs to be constantly demonstrated and reaffirmed) and its many negative consequences among adult men.”

The results revealed that boys who were most likely to feel pressure to be a "man" were those whose fathers had stereotypical beliefs about men's status and authority.

“In addition to aggression, threats to masculinity are linked to a wide range of negative and antisocial behaviors, such as sexism, homophobia, political intolerance and even anti-environmentalism,” said lead author Adam Stanaland. “The findings call for challenging the restrictive norms and social pressures that boys face to be stereotypically ‘men’, especially during puberty.”

The study was published in the journal Developmental Science.