Masculinity is about qualities, not gender for IIT-Gandhinagar students

AHMEDABAD: Masculinity is not just about having a well built and robust body but being socially connected, says a study. The study by a group of students at the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN) reveals that masculinity means having a strong social network and engaging in various extra curriculur activities.
The study, called Socialisation and Construction of Masculinity, was conducted on 50 students of IITGN.Among other findings, the study revealed that 77% students believed that masculinity comes from getting engaged in extra curricular activities and taking leadership and developmental roles on campus.
The study, which was carried out by a group of five Bachelor of Technology (BTech) students -Bobbur Abhilash, Yash Shah, Parth Shah, Gaurav Rathore and Bajrang Lal Chowdhary at IITGN was displayed at an exhibition at IITGN campus on Saturday. The study was done as part of a human interest course at IITGN.
Only 22% of the students felt that masculinity comes from good looks. Besides, on being asked what the students think about the term 'masculinity', 70% of the students said that masculinity has nothing to do with gender but is all about qualities in a person.
"The study was based on the theories and notions of the society. If you ask someone about masculinity, they will attribute it to gender but 70% students at IITGN felt that masculinity is about the qualities in a person and has nothing to do with the gender," said Yash Shah.
There were a total of 20 projects by various groups of students in the display on various topics at the institute.