Study: 89% of Men Don't Fit Toxic Masculinity Profile

Scientists just delivered some genuinely good news about men that challenges what many of us hear in the media: most guys are doing just fine when it comes to healthy attitudes about gender.

Researchers analyzed data from 15,808 men across New Zealand, ages 18 to 99, examining attitudes toward women, dominance, narcissism, and other traits often linked to toxic masculinity. What they found was surprisingly hopeful.

Over a third of men (35.4%) showed low levels across all harmful indicators, falling into what researchers call an "atoxic" group. Another 53.8% landed in moderate profiles, displaying mostly healthy attitudes with only minor concerns around specific issues.

That means nearly 90% of men don't fit the hostile, problematic profile that dominates conversations about masculinity online. Only 3.2% of men displayed the truly concerning patterns: high levels of sexism, narcissism, and even resistance to preventing domestic violence.

Perhaps the most striking finding challenges a common assumption. Men who strongly identify with being manly aren't automatically more likely to hold toxic views. The study found that feeling proud of your masculinity doesn't predict harmful attitudes.

This matters because the term "toxic masculinity" has exploded in use since 2020, appearing in over 10,000 articles. Yet most of those articles don't actually measure what they're discussing. The term has become a catchall for everything from serious misogyny to minor annoyances like mansplaining.

Why This Inspires

This research arrives at a crucial moment. While extreme voices in online "manosphere" communities promote harmful definitions of manhood, this study proves they represent a tiny fraction of actual men.

The findings suggest we can celebrate healthy masculinity without endorsing harmful behaviors. Men struggling with identity don't need to choose between toxic extremes and rejecting their gender entirely.

Lead researcher Deborah Hill Cone and her team published their findings in Psychology of Men & Masculinities, offering a roadmap for interventions that could help the small percentage of men who do hold problematic views.

The research gives us permission to have more nuanced conversations about masculinity, one that recognizes most men are already doing the work of being decent humans.