Men and Feminism: Between Resistance and Change in Conjugality

Love and heterosexuality have been studied through a feminist and critical lens since the 1970s, within radical and lesbian feminism. Queer theories extend this reflection by highlighting the all-encompassing, hegemonic, and exclusive nature of this norm. Heterosexuality is therefore predominantly problematized from an external standpoint to the norm, particularly by sexual and gender minorities.

Symbolized by the #MeToo movement, the feminist renewal is shifting this problematization. The conventional nature of heterosexual relationships is now being questioned from within the norm itself, specifically within heterosexual couples. This paper will analyze how the feminist renewal concretely manifests in heterosexual relationships.

Furthermore, since Connell (1995), studies have shown a certain hybridization of masculinities, reflecting adaptations to different contexts (Bridges and Pascoe, 2014). Until now, research on the relationships that heterosexual men have with feminism has mostly focused on their activist or political participation, whether pro-feminist or masculinist. Few have examined this through the lens of conjugality. This paper will also characterize what feminism, as an element within an intimate relationship, does to masculinity. Who are the men in relationships with feminist women? How do their intimate relationships question (or not) their masculinity?

The results presented are derived from joint and individual interviews conducted with couples aged 25 to 35 living in Belgium. They demonstrate, on one hand, how the problematization of heteronormativity emerges within heterosexual couples, through discursive or practical strategies related to cohabitation, parenting, sexuality, and emotional labor, which are key dimensions of the heterosexual framework (Mayer, 2018). On the other hand, they expose the resistances and changes of men in response to their partner's feminism.