Masculinity in Flux – a study by the Jacobs Center in cooperation with männer.ch
What does masculinity mean to people in Switzerland today? This is the question explored by a large-scale study conducted by the Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development at the University of Zurich, in cooperation with männer.ch, the umbrella organisation of Swiss men’s and fathers’ associations. For the first time, representative data on masculinity- and gender-related attitudes are available for Switzerland – gathered from over 6,000 people aged between 18 and 64, in accordance with the highest scientific standards.
At the heart of the study lies an illuminating finding: a wide range of restrictive, dominance-oriented attitudes towards masculinity and gender relations can be traced back to a single, shared underlying disposition – ‘Factor M’. It bundles masculinity- and gender-related attitudes into a measurable pattern, making them systematically analysable for the first time. These attitudes include, for instance, concern about the declining significance of “traditional” masculinity, violence-legitimising masculinity norms, sexism and hostility towards queer people.
The findings paint a nuanced picture. Restrictive, dominance-oriented notions of masculinity are particularly widespread among young men, while young women are considerably more likely to hold open attitudes – with an especially marked gap between the sexes in the youngest age group. Education plays a central role: the higher the level of education, the lower the Factor M scores. Finally, and particularly significant for violence prevention, Factor M proves to be a consistent risk factor for violence within relationships as well as for authoritarian, violence-prone patterns in child-rearing. These findings are especially central to youth research, as restrictive, dominance-oriented notions of masculinity already emerge clearly in early adulthood – a decisive lever for early action.
Beyond these core findings, the study opens up numerous further insights – for instance into relationships and sexuality, as well as into questions of sexual orientation and gender identity in Switzerland today.
Press release
The study’s press release provides a concise summary of the key findings:
To the press release
Report
The full study report offers a detailed summary, all findings in depth, and recommendations for prevention and policy (available in German only):
To the report (PDF, 1 MB)