When we tell our sons that a man should know how to repair his own car, are we teaching a life skill or, promoting “self-reliance through mechanical skills”—a telltale sign of unhealthy male role norms? When we buy our boys trucks instead of dolls, are we simply choosing a toy that we think they’ll like, or are we teaching them that even paltry symbols of femininity detract from their masculinity? Loaded questions, with dire messages. Fortunately, there are no less than six psychometric tests that experts use to assess toxic masculinity, ranging from simple eight-question quizzes to intense 94-item instruments. Most prominent is the Male Role Norms Inventory, a 53-question slog that its creator, Ronald F. Levant of the University of Akron, recently shortened to a more manageable 21 questions. Meet The Male Role Norms Inventory-Short Form (MRNI-SF) Ask your son to answer the following questions with Strongly Disagree (1), Disagree (2), Slightly Disagree (3), No Opinion (4), Slightly Agree (5), Agree (6), or Strongly Agree (7). Then, simply tally up the score. The lowest possible score is 21, the highest possible score is 147. What’s The Score Mean? The raw score measures how much your son believes that men should conform to traditional Western masculine norms, which include restricting the expression of emotions (measured via questions 1-3), striving for self-reliance through mechanical skills (4-6), having negative attitudes toward sexual minorities (7-9), the avoidance of all things feminine (10-12), placing great importance on sex (13-15), and being tough or dominant (16-21). The average male college student scores about 28; college women score closer to 21. Does A High Score Mean That My Son Hates Women? Not necessarily—He might also hate sexual minorities, too. Or just love power tools. First of all, recognize that a psychometric test is meant to be given in a clinic, not in your living room. So it’s possible that your son would give different answers if his dad hadn’t been the one administering the test. And it’s also possible that your son didn’t fully understand some of the questions and their implications. It’s conceivable that a boy who likes football might give a 7-point score to the statement “men should watch football games instead of soap operas”, without realizing that this question was not about personal preference, but about what all men should do. If you do suspect that your son may be displaying some unhealthy world-views, a frank conversation may be in order. Because you do not want to raise a boy who scores high on the MRNI and means it. Studies have shown that men who embrace these traditional masculine values struggle to maintain romantic relationships are less likely to practice safe sex, and more likely to harass women. The good news is that it’s possible to embrace masculinity without harming others. But healthy masculinity takes work to build—and it begins at home, with fathers setting positive examples for their sons.
