Young Icelandic Men’s Perception of Masculinities

Abstract

Iceland enjoys an international reputation as one of the most gender equal countries in the world. This article analyses how young men in Reykjavík, the country’s capital, perceive masculinities as they orient themselves in surroundings where gender equality is regarded as a common goal and a behavioral norm. The analysis, based on qualitative interviews, shows that the men in the study are heavily influenced by gender equality discourse and welcome change and the ever narrowing gap between genders. At the same time, they express uncertainties as they describe both changes and stabilities in what is expected of them as men. There are clear indications that masculinity is more broadly defined than before, that nowadays more things are “permissible,” and yet despite this liberalization, certain homophobic attitudes still linger on.