Adiel Joy Calsa QUIZ 1 MODULE 1

Adiel Joy P.
Calsa (BSN3 – Hall)

September 21, 2022
QUIZ 1 MODULE 1
Name of Male Interviewed: Indrie Magbanua
What are the advantages of being a male?
Belonging to the male category has its perks not only in terms of social construct but also
in the biological makeup as well. For instance, in the topic of Filipino social construct, males tend
to receive more leniency as to their female counterpart; it has been observed that in religious
institutions, there are more restrictions in terms of clothing upheld on women and or females than
to males as for the purpose of not “showing” skin. Another example of which is when females are
expected - and in severe cases are forced to carry a child despite having little to no access in
medical, mental, and financial support without mentioning the physical changes they have to
undergo. It is commonly seen in laws and especially in social media nowadays that lawmakers
and other organizational and institutional leaders – which are mostly males, tend to police over
women and or female bodies. Which leads to my second point that males never have to
experience the pain of menstrual cramps and possibly giving birth.
What are the disadvantages of being a male?
Despite of the number of perks that were mentioned on the previous item, males receive
discrimination that are rarely or seldom being talked about. An example of which is when they are
expected not to wear or having minimal emotions and are not generally taught on how to regulate
feelings since it is being seen as a female characteristic; this leads to having an emotionally
immature male adult in their later years. Furthermore, males are expected to maintain a “strong”
façade and will be frowned upon when done otherwise. Essentially, males are expected not to
behave a certain way on how females behave.
Are you familiar with the term “Toxic Masculinity” and can you explain it?
In relation to my previous statement, toxic masculinity is behaving in a most stereotypical

male attitude – where showing strength and dominance is the only option. For example, when
crisis occur, males are expected to remain a stern face and that shedding tears or showing any
signs of “weakness” is considered a negative trait. Not only that, toxic masculinity can also be
seen in homophobic and sexist comments, “locker room talks”, and poor and detrimental excuses
such as “boys will be boys”.
Have you experienced toxic masculinity or know someone who experienced it?
As a male myself who regulates his emotions and is fond of certain activities that women
enjoys, I have also faced the negative impacts of toxic masculinity. Especially on the teenage
years where acceptance and affirmation from peers are valued, I have lost a few friends that I
consider a safe space for the need of being included on the stereotypical male category. Being a
victim of toxic masculinity is not uncommon especially on environments that are heavily influenced
by culture and religion.
REFLECTION PAPER
Toxic masculinity has always been an issue that is lingering in our society not only for
years but for tens of decades already. Masculinity, itself, is not a problem as these are simply the
attributes or characteristics of males and just like for the women, these must be further enriched
and nurtured. Nevertheless, all of these turns into “toxic masculinity” when men are pressured to
conform to rigid male stereotypes and these cultural and societal norms become harmful already.
Another thing about toxic masculinity is that it isn’t actually a shallow issue because it affects
individuals in numerous ways. First, it affects how men shape their mindset and principle which
later on causes an impact on how they act and how they treat others, especially the opposite sex.
Moreover, toxic masculinity could also lead to serious problems such as bullying, discrimination,
homophobia, and even abuse. Aside from these, I have realized from our class discussion and
from this activity that it is still very much present in our country – after all, the Philippines has
always been a patriarchal nation even from the last centuries. Henceforth, having the opportunity
to interview a male within our community is actually an eye-opening and an interesting activity as
I was able to learn more and I had the opportunity to have a glimpse about their thoughts regarding
toxic masculinity.
As I have mentioned above, even though progress and changes have been made
regarding gender equality, a lot of people in our country and community still have a patriarchal
mindset or mentality – especially the older ones or those that are conservative. The person that I
have mentioned cited numerous examples of situations wherein males have their own perks and
indeed, I would have to agree that sometimes doesn’t mind when males do certain actions yet
would react differently if a female would have done that. I guess this would still stem to the thinking
that men are superior in the society and if we would go back to history, men usually had more
freedom when it comes to numerous things as they were also the ones who had the power to rule
and even to make these “rules” in society. Nevertheless, the interview also made me realize that
indeed, males still have the burden of trying to fit in or to avoid being judged due to the different
stereotypes and standards set by society. It’s also a pity that men are expected to be strong and
dominant all the time and any show of emotions (especially crying or seeking help) is frowned
upon. Males are still human beings just like any other individual and the fact that they are
conditioned to suppress their emotions just to adhere to these predetermined set of expected
qualities is indeed toxic and harmful. We all know that if they would just bottle up their emotions
and thoughts, it will explode in one way or another and could even affect others especially if they
would find comfort in projecting their anger or frustrations to other people.
Another thing that I have realized from this interview is that many people now, especially
our generation, are already aware about the issue of toxic masculinity. Frankly, I was delighted
when the person that I interviewed had an idea about toxic masculinity and even acknowledged
it and that he was open-minded about it. This just shows that years of trying to raise awareness
in the society along with many campaigns about it is working. I guess the reason that I find this
good is because it gives me hope that our generation could become a key in stopping toxic
masculinity from further branching out in future generations by cutting it off completely. Each of
us can do our part in addressing toxic masculinity and in stopping it by continuing to educate
ourselves about it, stepping in when you see it happening, and to encourage males to break free
from these stereotypes and to simply stop trying to fit in on these.

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Adiel Joy P.

Calsa (BSN3 – Hall)

What are the advantages of being a male?

What are the disadvantages of being a male?

In relation to my previous statement, toxic masculinity is behaving in a most stereotypical

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