The Structure of Gender and Contradictory Masculinity in Oral Literature

It is feasible to investigate oral culture and proverbs in order to comprehend the elements of Iranian men's masculinity as a field of men's studies. Men's studies is a new, emerging discipline within the fields of sociology and gender studies that has made significant strides in the understanding of men, including their behavior, expectations, attributions, and inherent identity. It is crucial to analyze proverbs because they serve as a conduit between the researcher and popular culture, enabling the researcher to gain a comprehensive understanding of the societal members' perspectives. The content analysis method was employed to conduct this qualitative research. 803 proverbs were selected and analyzed in this study, with the following keywords: man, spouse, son-in-law, uncle, father, and son. The analysis of the content of proverbs resulted in seventy-eight sub-components out of ten general components. The centrality of the general component “Masculinity as a contradictory phenomenon” was ultimately determined. The paradoxical issue of masculinity originates from an unclear situation that means that it is unclear when men have been characterized by these traits and whether there has ever been a time when men exhibited distinct masculinity behavior. The second facet of masculinity as a contradictory entity is the opposition and conflict with women. It is the site of investigation into the reasons and processes that result in a divergent and contradictory understanding, ultimately resulting in an opposition. Consequently, numerous evidences have been presented