Men who aggress against women: Effects of feminine gender role violation on physical aggression in hypermasculine men

Research on gender roles has indicated that men who strongly adhere to traditional masculine norms are more aggressive than their less adherent counterparts. Moreover, these men are particularly aggressive toward individuals who demonstrate gender role violations. However, these role violations have commonly been studied in reference to the masculine gender role and have studied extreme violations (i.e., depictions of homosexual intimate behavior). Less studied are violations of the female gender role and how these violations affect men's aggression toward women. In this study, 64 collegiate men participated in a sham aggression paradigm against a female confederate who portrayed either a hyperfeminine (role-conforming) or a hypofeminine (role-violating) woman. Results indicated that hypermasculine men were more aggressive in general, and in particular toward a female confederate who violated feminine gender role norms. Findings are discussed in the context of risk factors for domestic violence perpetrated by men against women.