Playing with gender: masculinities and feminities of tabletop role players and their characters

Authors

  • Teresa Faus Boscà Universitat de València - Estudi General
  • Clara Bel Martínez Meca Universitat de València - Estudi General

Keywords:

gender, masculinities, femininities, tabletop role-playing games.

Abstract

The aim of this research is to compare the masculinity and femininity models of role players in Valencia with the degree of masculinity and femininity of their characters. The interest of this study lies in observing the voluntary choice of gender roles in an area where social pressure to adopt a traditional role decreases. Based on the proposal of Raewyn Connell and the work of different authors, we have built five models of femininity (traditionalemphasized, modern-emphasized, minor-resistant, higher-resistant and masculine-resistant)
and five models of masculinity (hegemonic, complicit, marginalized, oppositional and subordinated) that apply to the group. These models differ by the place they occupy in Connell’s areas of gender (production, power and cathexis) and their distance from traditional femininity and masculinity. The results show that while in everyday life men are more opposed to the traditional model of gender, in the role the characters of both sexes tend to move away from it on an equal basis.

Keywords: gender, masculinities, femininities, tabletop role-playing games.

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Published

2014-01-14