Male Hegemony in Decline? Reflections on the Spanish Case

The masculine role is built primarily on the basis of men's position as breadwinners providing income for the home through paid work. However, it has been suggested that economic and employment crises and the transformation of production systems that have been underway since the 1970s have diminished the value of work as an identitarian element. The aim of this article is to analyze the extent to which employment crises question the model of hegemonic masculinity. Through the comparative analysis of the career paths of men and women, we show that work still forms the core of male identity, though the persistence of hegemonic masculinity is influenced by social class and generation. © The Author(s) 2012.