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Types of Masculinities
Connell identifies four forms of masculinity, based on the manner in which the various 
masculinities relate with one another. These are hegemonic, subordinate, complicit, and 
marginalized (Connell, 2005). 
Hegemonic masculinity: 
This is the dominant form of masculinity and is culturally valued the most. Qualities 
include heterosexuality, whiteness, physical strength, suppression of emotion. 
 
 

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Subordinate masculinity: 
Those who fall under this category exhibit qualities that are the opposite of those values 
in hegemonic masculinity. They may exhibit physical weakness or be very expressive with 
emotions; like gay or effeminate men. 
Complicit masculinity: 
Those here don't fit characteristics of hegemonic masculinity but they don't challenge it. 
Rather, many of them admire the characteristics of hegemonic masculinity. 
Marginalized masculinity: 
Those in this category cannot fit into the hegemonic because of certain characteristics like race 
or disability. However, they subscribe to norms of hegemonic Masculinity like physical strength 
and aggression (Sammie's Blog, Nd.) 
The paper will look at the driving principles in peace, war, love, and mercy as tools for 
reconciliation. 
Femininity 
or one's gender identity (Burke et al 1988); Spence 1985) refers to the degree to which 
persons see themselves as masculine or feminine in what it means to be a man or women in society. 
Femininity and masculinity are rooted in the social (one's gender) rather than the Biological 
(one's sex) Members of a society decide what being a male or female should be.
Men (masculine) are meant to be dominant, powerful, brave and useful, while women 
female are meant to be passive, submissive and emotional. Males would generally respond by 
defining themselves as masculine while females will generally define themselves as feminine.
These are merely social definition, it is possible for one to be female and see herself as 
masculine or male and see himself as feminine.
From a sociological perspective, gender identity involves all the meanings that are applied 
to one self on the basis of one's gender identification. In turn, these self-meanings are a source of 
motivation for gender related behavior (Burke 1980). Conceptions of what it means to be male or 
female are usually transmitted through institutions such as religion or the educational system, with 
time they may see themselves as departing from the masculine or feminine cultural model. A 
person may label herself female but instead of seeing herself in a stereotypical female manner such 
as being expressive, warm and submissive (Ashmore et al 1986) may view herself in a somewhat 
stereotypically masculine fashion such as being instrumental, rational or dominant. 
This means that people have views of themselves along a feminine masculine dimension 
of meaning, some being more feminine, some are masculine and some perhaps a mixture of the 

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two. It is this meaning along the feminine-masculine dimension that 'in their gender identity and 
subsequently guides their bahaviour. When one's gender identity and biological sex are not 
congruent, the individual may be identified as transsexual or as a transgender category.