Introduction
Hypermasculinity refers to a set of exaggerated beliefs and values about what it means to be a “real man”. These include the idea that men must always be tough, show no emotion, avoid anything considered feminine, and dominate women, especially in sexual contexts. Men who strongly endorse hypermasculine values are also more likely to enjoy violence, risky behaviour, heavy drinking, and aggressive sports.
Psychologist John Archer (based in the UK) developed the Hypermasculine Values Questionnaire (HVQ) to measure these beliefs (Archer, 2010). He based it on ideas found in both everyday life and anthropological research on masculinity across cultures. The HVQ includes items such as “Real men don’t back away from barroom confrontations” and “A sensitive man is a weak man.”
Why does this matter for psychology?
Research has shown that hypermasculine values are linked to aggression, sexism, unsafe sex, and other risky or antisocial behaviours. These values may be more common in certain groups—for example, men in manual labour jobs or uniformed services, but they can also vary with age and education.
By studying hypermasculinity, psychologists can better understand how gender norms shape behaviour, attitudes towards women, and even mental health. It also helps us ask bigger questions about how society defines masculinity and what the consequences of these definitions might be.
How did people score?
Only men were studied. Table 3 of the article (p. 534) is ideal. Highest scores were found amoung men in the Uniformed Services and lowest in male students on courses such as psychology and nursing (i.e., far more popular with women).
On the short HVQ, those in uniformed services scored 4.08 and students in feminine courses 2.72. For all averages you need to check the originil paper by Archer (2019)..
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Legal stuff
The article does describe the instruction used for answering each item, though it does so briefly and without quoting the exact wording of the instruction verbatim. In Study 1, it states: “Respondents were asked to rate each item along a seven-point Likert scale, so that factor analysis and reliability measures could be undertaken” (p. 531). And further: “In all cases, it was emphasized on the cover sheet that their own opinions (and not ‘correct’ or ‘socially accepted’ views) were wanted, and that the questionnaires were to be completed anonymously and returned in the envelope provided” (p. 531)
Based on this, PsyToolkit chose a question in line with this description.
Technically
The exact instructions to participants were not listed in the article (as is often the case in this type of study).
The survey code for PsyToolkit
scale: hvqAgree
- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Slightly disagree
- Neither agree nor disagree
- Slightly agree
- Agree
- Strongly agree
l: shvq
t: scale hvqAgree
o: buildup
q: Please read each of the following statements carefully.
Indicate how much you personally agree or disagree with each one by selecting the number that best represents your view.
There are no right or wrong answers—we are interested in your own opinions, not what you think is socially acceptable.
Your responses are anonymous and will be used for research purposes only.
- {1} Wife-swapping is fine as long as both men agree
- {3} Men who take part in yoga or ballet deserve to be ridiculed
- {4} Real men don’t back away from barroom confrontations
- {6,reverse} Women do not necessarily go for macho-looking males
- {8,reverse} It’s a good thing for men to cry
- {10} Sex is essentially a passive activity for women
- {12,reverse} There’s no such thing as a good war
- {13} ‘Nuke the bastards’ is the only response sometimes
- {15,reverse} Some of the ‘initiation’ ceremonies in all-male institutions such as the army are dangerous and should be stopped
- {16,reverse} Heavy drinking is a problem not a sign of masculinity
- {17} A lot of nonsense is talked about sexual technique, you’re either adequate or you’re not
- {21} There are too many wimps and cowards around today
- {22,reverse} Nursing is a perfectly respectable occupation for a man
- {23,reverse} It is acceptable for a man to complain or even cry when he is in pain
- {24,reverse} Men should not regard women as sex objects
- {25} There’s too much nonsense talked about so-called sexual harassment
l: shvqScore
t: set
- mean $shvq
l: shvqFeedback
t: info
q: Scores on the short hypermasculine values questionnaire can range between 1 and 7 points.
The midpoint of the scale is 4 points. A score below 4 points thus means that you on average
disagree with hypermasculine statements.
Your score was {$shvqScore}
References
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Archer, J. (2010). Derivation and assessment of a hypermasculine values questionnaire. British Journal of Social Psychology, 49(3), 525-551. Link behind paywall.