The Paradox of Masculinity

The Paradox of Masculinity

From If/Then by Stanford GSB

April 8, 2026 · 27 min · Season 3 · Episode 49

About this episode

Ashley Martin discusses the complexities of masculinity and its implications in organizational settings.

“Masculinity is my new frontier,” says Ashley Martin, an associate professor of organizational behavior at Stanford Graduate School of Business. Martin, whose work examines why gender plays such a central role in how we perceive and make sense of others, has been looking at how traits associated with masculinity are simultaneously organizationally rewarded even as they’re personally harmful to men.   “We spend a lot of time talking about gender inequality through the lens of women’s disadvantage,” she says. “I think that many of the problems that we’re seeing today… are actually bound up in masculinity.”  What impact do you think masculinity and femininity have on our work and our world? Tell us more at ifthenpod@stanford.edu . Related Content: Ashley Martin faculty profile   Is that Self-Driving Car a Boy or a Girl?   Why Taking Gender Out of the Equation Is So Difficult Chapters: 00:00 How movies shape our ideas about masculinity 04:02 Introduction 05:15 How Ashley Martin got into studying gender 05:58 When gender is removed from hiring 07:10 The “pet rock” study 10:35 The universal use of gender 13:02 Gendering objects 15:12 How masculinity affects men…

People in this episode

Guest: Ashley Martin

Topics covered

  • masculinity
  • gender inequality
  • organizational behavior
  • gender perception
  • social problems

Keywords

  • masculinity
  • gender
  • organizational behavior
  • gender inequality
  • social problems
  • gender perception

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Stanford Graduate School of Business, If/Then

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