You may be wrong about ‘toxic masculinity’: Researchers explain why | Technology News
4 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jan 23, 2026 08:49 PM IST
Researchers are beginning to put clearer boundaries around the often-debated idea of “toxic masculinity,” and a new large study suggests that the most extreme and harmful behaviours may be far less common than public discussions sometimes imply.
‘Toxic Masculinity’ was a term coined in the 1980s as a way of labelling certain typical masculine patterns, such as aggression, which are harmful to society when pushed to the extremes of the spectrum. Over the past few decades, the term “masculine toxicity” and others like it have been bandied about and have even included such things as emotional unavailability and the refusal to do household chores, which are certainly nowhere near the more serious issues like sexual violence. Certain drawbacks have resulted from the casual usage of the term “masculine toxicity,” according to psychologists and researchers who study the notion of the term.
One concern is that the phrase can wrongly suggest that masculinity itself is harmful, or that all men share the same values. It may also ignore the fact that ideas of masculinity differ across cultures. Because of these issues, psychologists have increasingly argued that the concept needs a clearer definition and proper measurement rather than being treated as a catch-all label.
There were very few scholarly instruments developed that could ascertain the levels of toxic masculinity upon which an assessment could be made. It was not until 2024 that psychologist Steven Sanders and his team administered a level of toxic masculinity based on the responses of US college-aged students. It was clearly upon the heels of such studies that a study was conducted on the matter, led by University of Auckland Psychology doctoral candidate Deborah Hill Cone.
Data from a countrywide New Zealand Attitudes and Values Study carried out in 2018 and 2019 were evaluated in the new study. Data came from nearly 50,000 respondents to the survey, with over 15,000 heterosexual males providing answers to questions concerning gender identity, social ideology, and attitudes toward others. Eight contributing factors have been described as relating to toxic masculinity: prejudice against sexually minority persons, inflexible attitudes on gender identity, and hostile and ‘benevolent’ sexism.
Using statistical analysis, the men were grouped into five distinct profiles. The largest group, making up more than a third of participants, showed little evidence of toxic traits and was described as “atoxic.” Only a small portion, about 3.2 per cent, fell into the most extreme “hostile toxic” category. These men scored high in terms of hostility, discrimination, and opposition to equality.
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There were some moderate groups between the above extremes that had conventional yet non-aggressive views towards women, and some others with a varying level of tolerance towards LGBTQ+ persons. Importantly, the study found that simply wanting to feel “manly” did not automatically mean a person held harmful beliefs.
Another striking finding was regarding the most hostile group. Rather than wealthy or socially powerful men, the profile was more common among those who were older, single, unemployed, or economically disadvantaged. Many also reported emotional struggles or low levels of education. It means that toxic behaviours may be more closely linked to social marginalisation than to privilege, according to the researchers.
Overall, it is a useful observation that adds depth to a term that is all too often thrown about without meaning to find that a toxic masculinity does indeed exist, but that it is a rare phenomenon.
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