Research: Entrepreneurs And Masculinity
Let’s talk about entrepreneurs and masculinity.
What comes to mind when you hear the word ‘masculinity’?
I bet there’s a pretty varied set of responses.
And rightfully so. The world is hard at work trying to come to terms with what it means to be a man and the role of men within a 21st century context.
As legendary jazz musician Abdullah Ibrahim put it: “All uncertainty, and then ultimately all answers, is found when ancient truths interact with modern new relevance.”
I think this is an accurate description of the state of masculinity.
These are also words that strike home with me personally when I think back to my development as a young entrepreneur, and the influence of previous generations of male entrepreneurs, fused with my interactions with new, young entrepreneurs.
There was good and bad found in both.
When thinking about the masculine spirit, and paying close attention to it, one quickly starts to break the mould of most of the stereotypical perspectives we might have.
Case in point, take the findings from an 11-year-long study into adolescent men in townships that revealed the complexities they navigate with their environment, their fathers, culture, society, themselves - to negotiate the construction of their masculinities.
The diversity of young male entrepreneurs is plentiful and beautiful, and invites us to be curious about it.
With that in mind, let’s look at Heavy Chef’s entrepreneur development data that gives us a peak into some of the values held dear within this group (male, youth, 18-34 years old):
Insight 1: Young entrepreneur men value self-development, ranking learning informally by himself as one of the highest contributors to personal growth.
Insight 2: They feel a deep connection interacting with their local communities.
Insight 3: They like to read, in particular practical how-to books and articles.
Insight 4: Entrepreneur youth use YouTube as their primary source of learning online, especially videos with long-form conversations.
Insight 5: Young male entrepreneurs are optimistic that conditions to start and grow a business will improve over time.
Yet another fascinating sub-culture of entrepreneurs - one that takes the responsibility to self-improve very seriously, prefers practical know-how and wants to connect positively with their communities.
So, what actions can we take from this morning’s insights?
For entrepreneurs, there are more similarities than differences between men and women entrepreneurs but our differences are also strengths. How can we create more opportunities to open ourselves up to learn from and share our individual experiences with each other?
For educators, masculinity is a unique and beautifully diverse quality. How can you cultivate curiosity within your programmes to explore and integrate the best parts of it with entrepreneurs, whether men or women?
For service providers, young men need positive male role models. Who, within your organisations, has the experiences of providing nuanced guidance to younger entrepreneurs?
This article was originally shared with our community as Louis Janse van Rensburg’s Friday Research Mailer. Subscribe now to get it in your inbox fresh!
