Women in the United States have been fighting for equal rights for the past 162 years. To this day, not much improvements have been made. According to the U.S Census, women only make about 75.7 cents for every dollar a man earns and it may worsen since the U.S is in an economic recession with high unemployment rates. Not only do women face inequality in the labor force, but also in the social realm. Many stereotypes on women have not changed. Women are still viewed as weaker and less competent then men are. There are many reasons to why inequality between the gender still exist. The definition of masculinity may be the reason to explain the inequality between women and men.

“They were having sex and ‘she said it started to hurt. I said we can stop, and she said no. Then she said it again and she started crying, I told her to get off! Told her to get off! Finally I took her off,’ making a motion like he was lifting her off him. Then he said there was ‘blood all over me! Blood all over her! Popped her wall! She had to have stitches” (pg ).

This was taken out of context from a book called “Dude You’re a Fag,” where the author, C. J. Pascoe questioned the word “masculinity” in the realm of high school students. For a year and a half Pascoe followed and interviewed students who were attending River High School to find the meaning of masculinity from the male population in the school. To many high school boys, having dominance or having control of their lives is a sign of masculinity. In order to prove themselves as masculine, sex experience is often the topic shared among each other. Many of their sex experience portray the opposite sex, girls, as an object that is being controlled by them. The excerpt above provides an excellent sex experience boys share among each other.

Many subjects in Pascoe’s field study in River High School have had several sexual relationships and are considered by their friends as a “man.” But as Pascoe stated in her book, girls that have several sexual relationships is considered a “slut.” For males, having lots of sex with different females is accepted by the society. While females having sexual intercourse with more then one male is viewed negatively on. Why is that? Because the body of a female “still serve as proof of masculinity” (pg 92). As mentioned before, even to high school boys having the control over the action is very important to them and is defined as masculinity. The dominance of every action males involve themselves in is considered masculine.

Until the definition of masculinity in the society is changed, inequality between the two gender will still remain.