The impact of a mother being the family's breadwinner on the stereotypical image of masculinity among sons

Abstract

This study attempts to answer the following question: Is the image of masculinity in sons affected by the absence of the father in the family?

Therefore, the current study aims to:

First: To reveal the stereotypical image of masculinity from the perspective of mothers who are the primary breadwinners for the family.

Second: To reveal the acceptable aspects of the stereotypical image of masculinity from the perspective of sons.

The current study relied on several theories, including:

Role Theory: This theory posits that social behavior is expected as a result of a set of agreed-upon social roles, in light of social learning theory and the modeling process.

Gender Theory: This theory distinguishes between biological sex and gender as a cultural and social construct formed through interaction.

. Bandura's Social Learning Theory: This theory suggests that observational learning can be identified by observing a model and learning new behaviors.

The second section presents analytical results from studies that addressed gender development and gender stereotypes. The third section discusses the methodology and procedures. The scale was administered to 100 divorced and widowed women with sons. This required developing a scale and determining its psychometric properties. After completing the application procedures and using appropriate statistical methods, the study concluded that female breadwinners often hold negative stereotypical masculine views. The study found that male children believe financial strength and empowerment are among the most important aspects of masculinity. Based on these findings, the study offered several suggestions and recommendations.