New Study Reveals How Fatherhood Affects Masculinity and Sexuality  

Masculinity and Sexuality
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Research Highlights Changes in Men’s Perceptions Post-Fatherhood

According to a recent article published in the journal: Psychology & Sexuality, fatherhood has an impact on men’s views of their masculine identity and sexuality. It has been found that fathers exhibit greater levels of sexual self-confidence and depression relative to non-fathers. Additionally, fathering dismisses the assumption that masculinity is brittle or fragile.

Exploring the DILF Phenomenon

Although society’s views about fatherhood have changed over time with people acknowledging the so-called DILF phenomenon, little is known regarding how men themselves perceive their masculinity and sexuality after they become fathers. This research gap led the scholars to study whether fatherhood adds or subtracts from one’s sense of manliness and sexual self-esteem.

Traditional vs. Modern Masculinity

On the other hand, throughout history, manliness has been associated with certain values such as apathy towards emotion, dominance or authority and independence. However, modern day dads are often expected to demonstrate different qualities such as being able to share personal feelings openly, taking care of children emotionally among others while engaging actively at home. These changing demands may create tensions for males by challenging conventional male gender norms.

Factors Influencing Sexual Esteem and Depression

The researchers aimed at pointing out those factors contributing into sexual esteem and depression among fathers. Previous studies showed that parental stress levels, changes in couple dynamics as well as self-perceived masculinity could affect significantly a man’s sex life (Malone et al., 2012). By studying these precursors, we anticipated understanding more about how male parenting influences his identity as a sexual person as well as mental health.

Methodology: Surveying Fathers and Non-Fathers

The research utilized an online survey which was completed by 564 participants, with a final sample of 490 after data cleaning. The majority of the respondents were heterosexual men from America, mostly Caucasian, where there were 138 parents and 352 non-parents.

At first, participants had to fill in a demographic questionnaire that enquired about age, gender identity, ethnicity, sexual orientation, marital status and education level among other things. For fathers, extra questions were asked in relation to their paternity status including whether they had adopted children or fathered stepchildren.

Measuring Sexual Esteem, Depression, and Masculinity

Key scales used in the investigation consisted of sexual esteem measures as well as scales for assessing sexual depression and precarious manhood beliefs. Sexual esteem was gauged using a five-item subscale assessing confidence and satisfaction derived from one’s sexual competency. The other scale measured sexual depression by means of relating negatively to one’s sex life using five items. Precarious manhood beliefs have been evaluated through an adaptation of seven item scale with questions tailored towards obtaining information on personal thoughts concerning how delicate one’s masculinity is.

In addition to these measures, fathers answered more questions regarding any changes they experienced in terms of their own sexuality before becoming parents (including problems related to parental stress; fatigue), alterations in the sex drive after having children both for them as well as their partners. The survey was conducted using Qualtrics platform between June 2020 and July 2021 during data collection period.

Key Findings: Enhanced Sexual Esteem and Depression

This survey disclosed number of important differences between fathers and non-fathers in relation to their sexual and masculinity conceptions. On the one hand, fathers reported greater levels of sexual esteem than non-fathers did as an indication of higher confidence in their sexual capabilities or desirability. In contrary, fatherhood was also associated with higher levels of sexual depression which points to the presence of more negative emotional feelings regarding sex. This teetering means that fatherhood has the capacity to intensify both positive and negative thoughts about sex.

Stable Masculinity Among Fathers

Additionally, fathers had fewer precarious manhood beliefs compared to non-fathers indicating that they see their masculinity as more constant rather than constantly being under threat. This result supports the idea that becoming a father may give a sense of wholeness while at same time reinforcing a male’s masculine identity by fulfilling traditional roles like breadwinner and caregiver.

Predictors of Sexual Esteem and Depression

Further analysis within fathers uncovered specific predictors for sexual esteem and depression. For example, high personal sex drive was found to significantly predict increased sexual esteem among fathers implying that those who remained highly interested in having sex felt prouder about themselves sexually.

In contrast, on becoming a dad, heightened levels of parental stress were linked to suffering from erotic melancholy while low partner libido forecasted this condition too among men; finally, post-parental self-perceived low maleness was another predictor for it. All these factors indicate that both external forces (e.g., stress levels and interpersonal relationships) as well as inner masculinities are very crucial in influencing various elements of men’s life satisfaction with respect to sex lives.

Conclusion: Insights into Fatherhood and Masculinity

“This study adds to the limited research on fatherhood and sexuality throughout the lifespan,” concluded the researchers. “Our findings indicate that fathers have lower endorsement of precarious manhood beliefs, greater sexual esteem, and greater sexual depression than non-fathers.”

“Further, we found that sexual esteem and depression during fatherhood were predicted by constructs related directly or indirectly to masculine norms; sexual esteem was predicted by high personal sex drive, while sexual depression was predicted by low partner sex drive, low self-perceived masculinity, and high parental stress. These findings illustrate the need for further investigation regarding men’s perceptions and expressions of masculine norms during fatherhood, and the resulting effects on their sexual wellbeing.”

Research Paper Details

The study entitled as “The virility-fertility tradeoff: effects of fatherhood on (precarious) masculinity, sexual esteem, and sexual depression” was conducted by Shelby Hughes, Flora Oswald and Cory L. Pedersen.



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