Aufgabe II

Aufgabenstellung

Outline the societal expectations men are faced with according to Cantor.

(30 %)

Examine how the author conveys his attitude regarding patriarchy. Focus on communicative strategies and use of language.

(30 %)

Choose one of the following tasks:

3.1

“Patriarchy is toxic to everyone.” (l. 49)

Discuss the quote, referring to the text at hand and materials studied in class, such as the short stories by Kate Chopin, Fay Weldon, and Bernardine Evaristo.

3.2

You are taking part in the monthly writing contest of the European Solidarity Corps, an EU initiative for young people. You have been given the post by @unwomen to use as a starting point for an essay in which you justify why it is still necessary to include the topic of gender equality in school curricula.

Write the essay.

Graustufige UN-Women-Grafik: 2024 meldete fast jedes vierte Land einen Rückschritt bei Frauenrechten.

Quelle: @unwomen. “The fight for #GenderEquality is under threat. […]” Instagram, 1. Juli 2025.

(40 %)

Material

Text: Matthew Cantor, “Dude, the Patriarchy Messed Up My Life – and Yours Too” (2021)

When I was seven years old, a classmate informed me that a girl who acted like a boy

was known as a tomboy. But a boy who acted like a girl, my laughing friend said, was

just a “sissy”.

I was a kid who adored choir practice but wanted to melt when a fly ball was hit my

way, and the comment stuck with me. It was clear there were codes of conduct that

I was supposed to abide by, and everyone around me seemed to have an intuitive

sense of what they were. Superheroes, laser tag, books about sword-wielding mice –

really anything with sufficient violence was a desirable activity for a boy.

Acknowledging the genius of Hanson¹ or playing with my sister’s Fantastic Flowers

paper-cutting set,² however, were best avoided.

My childhood self took all this as an affront: why was it a badge of pride for a girl to

play sports, but a source of shame for a boy to join the cheerleading squad?

In high school, a teacher made me see things in a new light. Since girls and women,

the teacher explained, have long been second-class citizens, a boy who acts in a

traditionally “feminine” way is taking a step down on society’s ladder. In other words,

the patriarchy – a culture built on male supremacy that prizes masculinity above all

else – was at it again. While its toll on women was devastatingly obvious, men suffer

collateral damage in the system they so cleverly crafted for themselves.

The result confines boys to tiny boxes that restrict far more than the choice of

whether to take martial arts or ballet classes. There is the repression of feelings, the

difficulty in finding connections, the glorification of violence even as we are among

its countless victims. And while my gender reaps benefits from the patriarchy, no boy

is born asking to be part of this system.

I experienced its harm a few years after college, when I was walking home one night

from a train station. It was late, and bars and restaurants were mostly closed. I wasn’t

paying much attention to a small, aimless crowd drifting ahead of me until one young

man peeled off and darted my way, screaming: “What did you say?” I hadn’t said

anything for more than an hour, having been on the train, but he didn’t care.

He punched and kicked me as his friends watched and I stood there, paralyzed, in

shock. Finally it occurred to me to flee and call a friend, who picked me up and took

me to the hospital. […]

I am privileged, as a straight white cisgender man, to have felt relatively safe walking

home in the dark. But the experience drove home our warped conception of what it

means to be a man. It felt like my assailant had something he needed to express, and

fury was the obvious route. This is a particular problem among younger men,

according to a recent study at Duke University that highlighted the links between

social pressure, masculinity and aggression.

The cost is evident in our friendships. As I grew up, I felt compelled to shift into Dude

Mode when I met other young men, a pose that involved minimal vulnerability and

as much swagger as I could manage. Words like “chief” and “buddy” were useful.

Hugs were permissible, but they had to either begin with a handshake or end with

back-slapping violent enough to sting. Though I could temporarily operate within

these boundaries, it was an exhausting social performance, and the friendships

founded on it were unfulfilling. I felt like an alien who’d been taught the language of

the male human but would never be fluent. […]

I’m not saying that I wouldn’t have been beaten up that night if my assailant had been

raised on Fantastic Flowers. But I had a sense, as his knee flew into my face, that his

motive was as unclear to him as it was to me. […]

Patriarchy is toxic to everyone. By the same token, feminism helps us all. As Robert

Webb puts it in How Not to Be a Boy: “Masculinity adds up to little more than the

pursuit of not being a woman.” If a fear of femininity is what makes men loath to

show their feelings, then eliminating the social hierarchy should have a welcome side-

effect: maybe men can finally be themselves.

I know I am far from the first man to call for a change in the kind of masculinity we

value. But I believe that call needs to be made repeatedly and without shame if we

want anything to change. Even as I write this, my man-alarm is going off: ABORT –

FEELINGS DETECTED. Maybe someday I can take out the batteries.

¹ Hanson – a US American pop rock band popular in the 1990s

² Fantastic Flowers paper-cutting set – a crafting toy from the 1990s to create paper flower bouquets

(791 words)

Quelle: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/sep/24/boys-patriarchy-toxic-masculinity. Zugriff am 24.04.2025.

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inhaltliche Aspekte:

societal expectations for men according to Cantor

having a general liking for roughness
disliking anything considered typical of girls
not lowering yourself to a female’s status in society
suppressing emotions or expressing them with brutality
using a stereotypically masculine way of speaking
keeping relationships superficial
retaining a strong and confident appearance

mögliche inhaltliche Aspekte:

The author regards patriarchy as a destructive social construct, which he makes clear through

communicative strategies, such as

drastic, blunt title (“Patriarchy Messed Up My Life”): showcasing the author’s emotional involvement, evoking the reader’s empathy
explanation of the concept of patriarchy (“a classmate informed me,” l. 1; “codes of conduct” Cantor was “supposed to abide by,” ll. 5f.; “a teacher made me see things in a new light,” l. 13; “no boy is born asking to be part of this system,” ll. 22f.): illustrating how it is something that was forced upon him by others
mention of personal experiences (e.g. being assaulted for no reason after a party, cf. ll. 24-31; feeling the need to “shift into Dude Mode,” ll. 38f., in order to fit in): demonstrating the author’s struggles with the system
use of external sources (e.g. citing Robert Webb, cf. ll. 49-51): supporting his line of argumentation concerning the purpose of masculinity

use of language, such as

contrasts (e.g. “tomboy” vs. “sissy,” ll. 2f.; “Superheroes, laser tag,” l. 7, vs. “Hanson or playing with […] Fantastic Flowers paper-cutting set,” ll. 9f.; “badge of pride” vs. “source of shame,” ll. 11f.): underlining the differences between assigned gender roles
enumerations (e.g. “Superheroes, laser tag, books about sword-wielding mice,” l. 7; “the repression of feelings, the difficulty in finding connections, the glorification of violence,” ll. 20f.): highlighting the numerous traditional expectations boys face growing up
juxtapositions (e.g. “Patriarchy is toxic to everyone. By the same token, feminism helps us all,” l. 49): clarifying his point of view
capitalisation (e.g. “ABORT – FEELINGS DETECTED”, ll. 56f.): underscoring the urgency of his message
metaphors (e.g. “society’s ladder,” l. 15; “man-alarm,” l. 56): illustrating gender inequality
similes (e.g. “I felt like an alien,” l. 44): enhancing the author’s confusion regarding male behaviour
use of quotation marks (“‘sissy,’” l. 3; “traditionally ‘feminine,’” l. 15): emphasizing the author distancing himself from the underlying concepts of these words and questioning their usage
parentheses (“– a culture built on male supremacy that prizes masculinity above all else –,” ll. 16f.; “[…], as a straight white cisgender man,” l. 32): stressing the author’s reluctance to identify with the ascribed gender roles and concepts

3.1

mögliche inhaltliche Aspekte:

explanation of quote: patriarchy is harmful for every individual in society

aspects supporting the quote

patriarchy is built on fixed gender roles and assignments and therefore does not leave much room for creativity and individualism (e.g. Cantor being shoehorned into certain expectations in text at hand; Martha being restrained in her life choices in “Weekend”)
patriarchy prevents connecting on an emotional level (e.g. Cantor forced to only experience superficial friendships; marriage turning into frustration in “Weekend”)
oppression of females through patriarchy (e.g. reference to position on society’s ladder in text at hand; Louise only feeling freedom after her husband’s death in “The Story of an Hour”)
non-conformity to patriarchal structures often treated with exclusion (e.g. slurs in text at hand)
exhausting and often unacknowledged workload of women at home (e.g. household, care work, etc.) keeping women in their place and leaving no room for improvement (e.g. Martha having no time for herself or taking action to change her situation)
patriarchy causes inequality and is destructive to democracy (e.g. in history: no representation for women in politics; exclusion from equal education opportunities)
patriarchy makes individuals experience social pressure

aspects opposing the quote

men often profit from a system largely built on inequality (e.g. reference to society’s ladder in text at hand; careers of the husbands in the short stories)
women profit from their husband’s status as well, therefore supporting the system (e.g. Katie in “Weekend”)
political systems in most countries today mirror patriarchal structures (e.g. very few women in political positions of power), thereby modelling what is perceived as the norm (e.g. Cantor experiencing patriarchy in every stage of his life; Martha not revolting against the system)
patriarchy is an established system that creates familiarity and illusion of stability (e.g. tea time lady culture in “The First Feminists”)
patriarchy is being socially and culturally revived at the moment (e.g. tradwife trend on social media)
navigating patriarchal structures as an individual agency (i.e. challenging patriarchy is possible without being oppressed)

3.2

mögliche inhaltliche Aspekte:

explanation of the post: according to the UN, $Formula: 25\,\%$ $Formula: 25\,\%$ of nations worldwide report adverse reactions regarding women’s rights

possible aspects

reasons why the topic is still relevant
- studies show that the goal of gender equality has not yet been achieved (e.g. post at hand)
- democracy and free will are under threat if people involved do not possess the same rights (e.g. social development in the Middle East)
- current social and political developments show a resurgence of patriarchy (e.g. tradwife trend)
reasons why school curricula should educate about the topic
- scope (e.g. mandatory schooling ensuring education for everyone)
- raising awareness of the issue (e.g. with school projects, political talks and discussions)
- educational mandate of schools (e.g. offering unbiased, multifaceted and age-appropriate introduction to the topic)
- teaching skills and tools for forming well-founded opinions and appropriate actions (e.g. media literacy; education for sustainable development)
- fewer opportunities to educate yourself once you are an adult (e.g. increased level of responsibilities in everyday life)

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