Social Representations and Challenges of Masculinity in University Students’ Coexistence

Abstract

Studies on masculinities, conducted in a space with androcentric sociocultural meanings such as the public university, reveal that certain ideologies within it are undergoing change, whether driven by the perspectives of new generations or by the force of legal frameworks and social realities that recognize equality of opportunity. It is argued that, beyond the existence of academic programs associated with stereotypes of masculinity or femininity—which are not, in themselves, elements that should necessarily change, as they reflect individual and social identities—the key issue lies in the conditions under which masculinity and femininity are enacted within antagonistic contexts characterized by opposition, risks of gender-based discrimination and segregation, as well as expressions of freedom, the expansion of competencies, and aspirations. An emergent design is adopted in order to identify meaningful and relevant categories related to continuity versus change in masculinities, as well as to examine the challenges faced by university students in their everyday lives.