Burdens of Masculinity Among Heterosexual, Gay, and Bisexual Men in Turkey: More Masculine, More Conflicted, Less Satisfied

Abstract

Although bivariate associations among masculinity ideology, gender role conflict, and life satisfaction have been documented in Western countries, they have received limited attention in Turkey. Moreover, the majority of peer-reviewed research on masculinity has focused on heterosexual men's experiences. The current study, therefore, explored the relationship between masculinity ideology and life satisfaction in Turkish men with gender role conflict as a mediator and sexual orientation (heterosexual men vs. gay or bisexual men) as a moderator variable. Data were collected online from 195 men (128 heterosexual, 53 gay, and 14 bisexual) between the ages of 18 and 42 (M = 25.39, SD = 3.53) using the Life Satisfaction Scale, Masculinity Ideology Scale, and Gender Role Conflict Scale. The moderated-mediation analysis revealed that masculinity ideology and life satisfaction were significantly associated via the mediator of gender role conflict. Both heterosexual and gay or bisexual men who adhered more to masculine ideology experienced greater gender role conflict and thus felt less satisfaction with life. After discussing the results and their limitations, recommendations for further research and practice are offered. We conclude that addressing gender role conflict in clinical work may be a profitable approach to increasing men's life satisfaction.