HEGEMONIC MASCULINITY AND AGING

THE CRYSTALLIZATION OF THE OLD MAN

Abstract

Hegemonic masculinity is built on the trunk of patriarchy, with machismo being its predominant trait. In this model of masculinity, “being a man” fundamentally gravitates to the pillars of strength and virility, attributes that decline over time in the course of the aging process. With this, the identity of man when he reaches old age is called into question due to changes in sexual responses during erectile dysfunction and, also, because of leaving the world of work due to retirement or poor health. Because of this, elderly men show resistance in accepting aging, since it presents itself as the decree of male disability and social worthlessness. This work aims to discuss the production of senses of violence and self-violence by elderly men who refuse to accept aging in the name of male validation. The methodology is nourished by an interdisciplinary approach based on a scientific initiation research carried out in the interior of a city in Amazon with elderly men with purchasing power of consumption. We infer that the crystallization of the hegemonic precepts of masculinity corroborates with the lower longevity of men and with the potentiation of their physical and psychological diseases.