World6 March 20213 min read

‘Masculinity crisis’ in China; Govt wants to toughen up 'effeminate' boys

Agencies | Hong Kong The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbhahrain.com Government officials in China believe that boys are getting more effeminate and want to toughen them up. In the latest attempt to tackle what academics and news outlets call a "masculinity crisis," the Educatio

Editorial Team Legacy

Published 6 March 2021, 8:00 · Updated 21:26

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‘Masculinity crisis’ in China; Govt wants to toughen up 'effeminate' boys

Agencies | Hong Kong

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbhahrain.com

Government officials in China believe that boys are getting more effeminate and want to toughen them up.

In the latest attempt to tackle what academics and news outlets call a “masculinity crisis,” the Education Ministry has proposed emphasizing the “spirit of yang,” or male attributes, by hiring more sports instructors and redesigning physical education classes in elementary and secondary schools.

The plan, a response to a top official’s call to “prevent the feminization of male youths,” was released last week. It included no timeline and few other details, but it prompted an outcry online and is still stirring fierce debate on social media. One hashtag has been viewed 1.5 billion times on Weibo, a popular microblogging platform.

Some social media users expressed support for the proposal, with one writing, “It’s hard to imagine such effeminate boys can defend their country when an outside invasion looms.” But others saw evidence of sexual discrimination and the perpetuation of gender stereotypes.

In recent years, as the country has sought to bolster its military and reckons with pampered children, mostly boys, born under its one-child policy, a more stringent idea of masculinity has emerged. Television censors have blurred the pierced ears of male pop stars. Well-groomed actors have been publicly derided as “little fresh meat,” and parents have enrolled boys in boot camps, hoping they will become “real men.”

The Education Ministry’s plan is in response to a proposal made in May by Si Zefu, a top delegate of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Standing Committee. Called a “Proposal to Prevent the Feminization of Male Youths,” Mr Si’s proposal said that “many, many more” men should be hired as physical education teachers to exert a “masculine influence” in schools.

While the Education Ministry’s new plan did not explicitly propose different treatment for boys and girls, educators like Liu Wenli, a professor at Beijing Normal University and an expert in health and sex education, see some perils. Ms Liu said that even the reference to “feminization of male youths” could lead to more bullying of students because of their gender expression, identity or sexual orientation.

While some Chinese high schools separate students based on physical ability and others allow them to choose their sports classes, most physical education classes at the elementary level are mixed. But fitness classes are increasingly seen by officials as a solution to the perceived problem of weak boys.

‘Masculinity crisis’ in China; Govt wants to toughen up 'effeminate' boys

Editorial Team Legacy

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