Exploration of Conformity to Masculine Norms among Male Engineering Undergraduates

Abstract

This study quantitatively examines the level to which college men studying engineering conform to masculine norms and the relationship between their conformity to masculine norms and sense of belonging in their major. Study participants were undergraduate, male-identifying students at a large, public research university in the Midwest. Masculine norm conformity was measured through the Conformity to Masculine Norms Inventory-46 (CMNI-46) and analyzed based on scores from each of the inventory’s nine subscales that align with nine popular masculine norms identified in Western culture. A comparison between engineering males’ masculine norm conformity scores and conformity scores from males enrolled in female-dominated majors at the same institution was also conducted.Results of the study indicate that engineering males in the study’s sample generally do not endorse the masculine norms measured by the CMNI-46. While the engineering males did indicate greater levels of conformity to the masculine norms compared to males in female-dominated majors, the differences were either statistically insignificant or very small. Masculine norm conformity scores were also found to predict only a small amount of the variance in scores measuring sense of belonging in major, indicating other variables not accounted for in the study are responsible for the majority of variance in belonging scores. This sample’s lack of endorsement of the masculine norms identified in the CMNI-46 align with other recent studies of similar populations and suggest that the norms measured by the instrument do not align with modern college males’ views of masculinity, suggesting that new approaches to masculinity research should be utilized for this population. Similarly, these findings suggest campus professionals should highlight positive expressions of masculinity when engaging in conversations about masculinity with men on campus.