The men from the Scandinavian Peninsula were long viewed as fierce and militant. The Roman historian Tacitus described the Suiones (Swedes) living in this area as “not only powerful in men and weapons but also in ships.” From the late 8th to the mid 11th century the Vikings were generally perceived as bloodthirsty and violent. Vikings from the area of modern Sweden settled in Ladoga and Novgorod, captured Kiev and raided the Caspian Sea, forcing the Byzantines into favorable trading agreements. The Vikings were so highly regarded in loyalty and fighting skills that the Byzantine emperors used them as their personal body guards. On the battlefield, the legendary Scandinavian Viking berserkers were biting their shields in eagerness for the forthcoming violence. From the 17th to early 18th Century the Swedish army was considered to be one of the best in the world, if not the best, characterized by bravery and shock tactics.
But something has changed. The Swedish man is no longer perceived as macho. In the forum post: http://www.thelocal.se/discuss/index.php?showtopic=16292 the user Dexter77 writes “men in Stockholm seem more feminine to me than everywhere else I’ve been”. He is not the only one to view Swedish men this way. The Finnish comedy group Kummeli portrays Swedish men as sports loving and effeminate. In one of their skits, a blond Swedish man is jumping on a trampoline and is cheered on by the others while flashing his rear: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pw3e64sosEg Another skit in the Russian comedy show “Yesterday live” mocks a recent statement of the Swedish commander-in-chief of the armed forces, who in January 2013 claimed that Sweden could only defend itself for one week if it came under attack. In the skit Swedish men in tight leather shorts and boots are dancing and singing “Mama mia”, fretting the attack of the Russian bear: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVwSGvjhc_g It is not only the perception of Sweden’s ice hockey rivals that has changed, but actual attitudes and behavior. A factor analysis of Hofstede’s longitudinal and famous cross cultural survey studies of values and attitudes in 50 countries indicates that Sweden has the lowest value in the sample in regards to masculinity. Masculinity according to Hofstede relates to values on the distribution of emotional roles between the genders. Masculine cultures value competitiveness, assertiveness, materialism, ambition and power whereas feminine cultures value relationships and quality of life. There is a stricter division of gender roles in masculine compared to feminine cultures. In addition, men and women of feminine cultures like Sweden, share similar values of modesty and caring. Sweden’s extremely feminist culture also demonstrates itself in the behavior of its children. In an international survey study of 9 countries in 2012 Swedish boys were the least aggressive. If you still do not agree with this perception of Swedish men, have a look at this youtube clip where two full grown Swedish men are attacked by a wild turkey: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eZwm6tsiT4 How did Swedish males become so emasculated? In this essay I will argue that the reconstruction of Swedish manhood is the product of historical pacification, democratization, and feminization processes. The transformation may have already begun in the early 18th century. It seems that a good way to pacify men is to have them lose an empire. This is what happened not too long ago to Germany and Japan, and it was happened to Sweden during the Great Northern War. It has been estimated that during this war, about a third or a fourth of all Swedish young men lost their lives. War, it seems, is genocide of men. It also breeds revolution. War-weary and broke, Sweden changed its constitution to a parliamentary monarchy, limiting the monarch’s power in many ways similar to England’s Glorious revolution of 1688. Although initially controlled by the nobility, the parliament paved the way for future democracy. Democracy may be the least war hungry constitution and war weariness may be one of the driving forces for its development. Two halfhearted and futile attempts to regain lost territory from Russia in 1741-1742 and 1788-1789 were followed by a Russian conquest of Finland in 1809. A coup d’etat by the nobility in the same year forced the king to abdicate and the constitution was rewritten once again, this time based on the principle of separations of powers in order to limit opportunities for power abuse and corruption. With the strong economic development and industrialization of the 19th century, parliamentarian democracy was almost inevitable. Swedish democracy has reformed itself many times, the last time being the constitution of 1974. This time it was based on the popular sovereignty, giving the parliament executive, judiciary, and legislative powers. When common people gain in political power, a war of aggression becomes less likely, because people usually do not desire state war, unless strongly justified. Even though the Swedish military has participated in peacekeeping and military activities in Afghanistan and Libya in recent years, it must be remembered that until then Sweden was not involved in any major or minor conflict since 1814 (besides a temporary occupation of the Aland islands in 1918 during the Finnish civil war). The separation of Norway from Sweden was fairly peaceful and Sweden did not participate in any of the World Wars. This lengthy period of peace in Sweden is probably one of the longest in the world, matched by Switzerland and only surpassed by Pax Romana. War weariness may desire peace but the need for peace is perpetual. However, it must also be remembered that Pax Romana was also the beginning of the decline of the Roman Empire. Wars and liberalism may also have contributed to emergence of the feminist movement. Scandinavian women have a long history of independence, strength and intellect. In Germanic societies contemporary to the Roman Empire women were thought to be close to the spiritual world, and many women often fought alongside with the men in war. The marital age for German women were higher than for Roman women, suggesting a greater independence. The Vikings continued with the Germanic tradition by giving Scandinavian women a relatively strong position in society. When the men traveled broad to raid and trade, the women were in charge of the work on the farm, increasing their autonomy. Although Lutheranism somewhat reduced the social position of women in the 1600s, the many wars that Sweden was involved in also increased the status of the noble women. After the new constitution of 1718, widows of the nobility had suffrage. The 1700s to the present day has since been a long political struggle for the women’s rights to divorce, education, property ownership and universal suffrage. When universal suffrage finally came in the early 1920s during a time of war weariness, pacifism, and respect for women’s war efforts, feminism became a reputable political power. The second-wave feminism of the 1960s and 70s and the third-wave feminism of the 1990s to the present day may have influenced many political decisions in Sweden to this date to protect the rights of women and men (It may be noted that in 2001, our prime minister called himself a feminist). One example is the illegalization of procuring and purchasing sexual services and another possible example the legalization of same-sex marriage. A couple of years ago the Wikileaks founder Julian Assange experienced Sweden’s relatively strict laws regarding rape. Sweden has the highest incidence of reported rape in Europe and it is one of the highest of the world. However, the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention recently claimed that the high numbers are explained by Sweden’s broader legal definition of rape than in other countries and the effort to register all suspected and repeated rapes. Another law most likely influenced by the feminist movement is the employer benefit of men to take 480 days of paid paternity leave, which is unique for Sweden. When paternity leave was introduced in 1978 it was not very common that men used it, despite intensive advertising campaigns (see http://newint.org/features/1980/08/01/90-26.jpg for an example of a poster from the campaign) Today, thirty years later, it is very common for men to stay home with their children. The 1970s slightly derogatory term for the softer, gentler and less masculine "Velour man"; named after a soft fabric that was popular for unisex clothes in the 70s and characterized by an interest in children and household chores and who has good conflict resolution skills has now been replaced by the “Latte-pappa”. A “Latte-dad” is a father on paternity leave who is spending most of his free days with his children strolling in the city or relaxing at a café (thus the name). This is in a time where metro-sexual men are also common; men who are meticulous about grooming, fashion and appearance, and spend a significant time on shopping. My cousin even has a website in which he is selling makeup for men. It therefore seems that while pacification, democratization, and feminization processes improved the social conditions of men and women in Sweden they have also contributed to the redefinition of men’s masculinity. The concept of Swedish manliness has been gradually changing through socialization, encouraged by social institutions. One example of the socialization process is early children’s literature, where the young male protagonist is often non-violent, helping and caring. In a popular children’s book from 1981, Alfons Aberg does not like to fight and is respected by other children because he is courageous enough to admit it. The main character in the popular comic book “Bamse” is also a pacifist. Even though he is strong enough to hurl villains up in trees, he is nice to everyone, even to bad guys. Vargen, who used to be the antagonist of the story, is now a good friend to Bamse. Similarly, many female characters in Swedish children’s book are well-meaning and strong, one example being Pippi Longstockings. It is said that Stieg Larsson, the author of the “Girl with the dragon tattoo”, imagined Lisbeth Salander as a grown-up Pippi Longstockings. Perhaps the children’s book character “Pelle Svanslos” is the best metaphor for what has become of the Swedish man. Pelle is a housecat whose nickname means “tailless” - a rat bit off his tail when he was young. Pelle is kind and constantly bullied for his stump for a tail by the mean street cat “Elaka Mans”. However, the kind and adorable female cat Maja Graddnos loves Pelle endlessly, despite his shortcomings. The Greater Coat of Arms of Sweden is decorated with two lions. The Swedish man who once used to be a lion is now a domesticated and neutered pussycat. However, he is a happy cat, enjoying his milk and his naps. I am not claiming that the transformation of Swedish manhood is something awful but most likely for the better. What is happening may also be a global trend not exclusive for Sweden, driven by pacification, democratization and feminization. It must be acknowledged that traditional masculine values in Sweden are not fully extinct. They are still strong among older men, in male sports and in male-dominated professions. In addition, the political assertiveness of Swedish state feminism has led to a backlash through a small, but growing group of intellectuals critical to feminism, some of its early proponents being Par Strom and Pelle Billing. However, the progress and reconstruction of Swedish manliness is most likely irreversible. Nor is it desirable to go back to the old ways. For example, the author of this paper, who is male and also Swedish, is a proud chihuahua owner.
1 Comment
Vlad
4/2/2016 08:24:26 am
The irony is that if Sweden did get invaded by Russia history tells us the women (feminists) will be raped by the bucket load, and its them that have made the men incapable of defending the country. They truly are a laughing stock and any woman or man with any sense should take serious note and swallow their pride. Men and women are different wether you like it or not.
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AuthorThis is my class blog for IB Psychology. Here I will publish reflections on psychology, reviews of psychology books, recommended links, lecture notes, and information on psychology topics that are not covered by the syllabus. You are free to add comments or ask me questions. Archives
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