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Masculinity Norms and Their Economic Implications

Ieda Matavelli et al.

Annual Review of Economics2026https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-economics-051624-065932article
AJG 3ABDC A*
Weight
0.50

Abstract

While economists have extensively studied gender norms affecting women, masculinity norms—social norms about how men should behave—remain underexplored. This review first synthesizes how other disciplines have studied masculinity, providing economists with conceptual foundations and empirical patterns for understanding masculinity norms. We then discuss how the study of masculinity norms can inform the economics literature on gender gaps and men's outcomes across multiple domains: health behavior, labor supply and occupational choice, violence and aggression, and political preferences. We also discuss paths for the transmission and persistence of these norms. Finally, using novel survey data from 70 countries, we present five stylized facts about masculinity norms. We document substantial global variation in these norms and demonstrate their predictive power for various socioeconomic and political outcomes.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-economics-051624-065932

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@article{ieda2026,
  title        = {{Masculinity Norms and Their Economic Implications}},
  author       = {Ieda Matavelli et al.},
  journal      = {Annual Review of Economics},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-economics-051624-065932},
}

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Masculinity Norms and Their Economic Implications

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Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

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