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When Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg appeared on a January 10, 2025, episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, he lamented that corporate culture had become too feminine, suppressing its masculine energy and abandoning supposedly valuable traits such as aggression. The workplace, he concluded, has been neutered. Perhaps not surprisingly, Zuckerberg has also embraced stereotypically masculine pursuits in his personal life. Hes become a mixed martial arts aficionado and has shared his affinity for smoking meats. On his expansive Hawaii compound, hes even taken up bow-and-arrow pig hunting. Hes come a long way from the geeky image of his youth. But is Zuckerberg right? Do workplaces in the U.S. need to embrace a more diesel-fueled, street-fighting, meat-eating mentality? As a social psychologist who studies masculinity and aggression, I think its important to evaluate what the science says about Zuckerbergs claimsand to consider what it means for the future of workplace culture in the U.S. Show no weakness In 2018, sociologist Jennifer Berdahl and her colleagues coined the term masculinity contest culture to describe workplaces rife with cutthroat competition, toxic leadership, bullying, and harassment. Integrating decades of prior research on masculinity in the workplace, Berdahl and her collaborators were able to map how masculinity contest cultures operate, as well as show how they affect organizations and individual employees. In her experiments, she had participants agree or disagree with statements such as expressing any emotion other than anger or pride is seen as weak, based on their perceptions of their own organization. Using advanced statistical techinques, Berdahls team was able to distill masculinity contest cultures down to four components: showing no weakness, strength and stamina, putting work first, and dog eat dog. Then they were able to show how these cultures are tied to a host of negative outcomes for workers and companies, such as burnout, turnover, and poor well-being. And at the organization level, they can foment a dysfunctional office environment, toxic leadership, and even bullying and harassment. An imagined grievance Based on this research, then, it seems like promoting rigid masculinity in the workplace is not the best solution for an arguably already struggling Meta. What, then, led Zuckerberg to claim that the workplace has been neutered and must be infused with masculine energy? Has the American office really gone full Legally Blonde? Zuckerbergs own company isnt exactly a paragon of parity: Its total workforce, as of 2022, was nearly two-thirds male, while its tech workforce was three-quarters male. Furthermore, according to psychologists Sapna Cheryan and Hazel Markus, workplaces in the U.S. still reflect what they call masculine defaultscultures that reward characteristics or behaviors generally associated with men. This can range from how companies describe themselvesfor example, as places that are aggressive and unrestrainedto hosting events catering to traditionally male pursuits, such as golf outings. Although Cheryan and Markuss analysis centers on how masculine defaults make it harder for women to carve out their professional paths, they can harm everybody, including men. My research, for example, has shown that when men feel pressured to fulfill certain masculine expectations, they can develop fragile masculine identities, which are linked with aggression and anxiety. Although the pervasiveness of masculinity norms can give men an upper hand in the workplace, I wonder whether men are contorting themselves to fit into outdated molds of who succeeds at work. Indeed, research shows that successful organizations promote a healthy mix of stereotypically masculine and feminine qualities. In other words, its best when people of all genders feel comfortable showcasing traits such as cooperation and agency, qualities that dont necessarily fall into one gender camp. The rise of the fragile billionaire If many workplaces still possess dog-eat-dog cultures and celebrate masculinitywith evidently poor outcomesyou might wonder why billionaire corporate leaders would advocate for them. The most generous explanation is ignorance. Zuckerberg could simply be unaware that most offices in the U.S. still possess competitive environments and traits associated with traditional masculinity. Although this could be the case, I think there could be two other explanations for Zuckerbergs promotion of rigid masculinity norms. There could be an economic motive. Perhaps Zuckerberg thinks that promoting his company as an arena of high-stakes competition and aggression is the best way to attract talent and spur innovation in a field already dominated by men. Its often thought that competition drives innovation. So Meta needs to be more masculine could actually be code for Meta needs to breed mre internal competition, which will spur innovation and turn a profit. This assumption is also misguided: Recent research has shown that internal competition may actually stifle innovation. There could also be a psychological motive. Ive found in my research that men are most likely to cling to notions of rigid masculinity when they feel pressure to man up and are insecure about themselves. Perhaps Zuckerberg sees diversity efforts as a challenge to his power. Maybe he thinks aligning himself with President Donald Trumps version of masculinity will help him gain and retain power, especially as he faces challenges from other tech giants. So his promotion of an aggressive workplace, along with his slashing of policies that could make him look weak, are moves to reinforce his status as a leader, as an innovator, and as a man. This isnt to say that activities such as hunting and mixed martial arts are inherently bad, or even inherently masculine: There are plenty of female hunters and UFC fighters. Nor is it to say that certain masculine characteristics in the workplace are inherently bad. But when I see middle-aged billionairesZuckerberg isnt the only oneexhibiting the signs of fragile masculinity that Ive observed among young adult men and adolescent boys, I cant help but wonder what the countrys future holds. Adam Stanaland is an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Richmond. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Theres panda-monium in Washington, D.C., and we arent talking politics. Two giant pandas are making their public debut at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo on Friday, January 24, giving the nations capital some much-needed levity. Heres everything you should know about Bao Li and Qing Bao: “Panda diplomacy” in the United States Before Bao Li and Qing Bao, Richard Nixon traveled to China in 1972. This opened up trade possibilities and diplomatic relations between the two countries. As an added bonus, a pair of pandas were given to the National Zoo, marking a new era for what has been termed “panda diplomacy.” When did Bao Li and Qing Bao arrive? The furry duo arrived back in October of 2024. This was less than a year after their counterparts, Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their cub, Xiao Qi J, exited the scene. The pandas are on a 10-year loan from China. The adorable pair quarantined for 30 days for safety and were given time to adjust to their new enclosure before greeting guests. All about Bao Li Bao Li [Photo: Roshan Patel/Smithsonians National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute] This three-year-old males name means treasure and energetic in Mandarin. He hails from Sichuan. His mom, Bao Bao, was born at the National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute while his grandparents Mei Xiang and Tian Tian called the National Zoo home from 2000 to 2023. Coming to America almost seems to be part of the family business for this animal ambassador. According to his keepers, Bao is spirited and playful. He is also vocal and not afraid to loudly make his opinions known. “If you hear a panda vocalizing to a keeper, thats probably Bao Li,” keeper Mariel Lally shared in an interview on the Zoos website. All about Qing Bao Qing Bao [Photo: Roshan Patel/Smithsonians National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute] This three-year-old female is more of an introvert. She was also born at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Sichuan. She prefers to take toys into the trees and get away from people. Another way to tell her apart from Bao is the markings on her backside. She has two dark patches of fur located on her left hip. Her checks are also wider. Her name means green and treasure in Mandarin. How to visit the pandas If you find yourself in the D.C. area, drop by to say hello to these creatures. Admission to the Zoo is free but you will need an entry pass. You can save time by getting one ahead of time here. From January 25 to February 9, a whole slew of special events are taking place to celebrate the new arrivals. The District of Panda Party will include Lunar New Year celebrations, a special screening of Kung Fu Panda, and more. How can I stream the giant pandas live? For those outside of the nations capital, modern technology has your back. The National Zoo has a Giant Panda Cam with two feeds that are live-streaming daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET so you can watch the pandas do their thing. The cameras switch to a pre-recorded feed in the evenings.
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At least 242 million children in 85 countries had their schooling interrupted last year because of heat waves, cyclones, flooding, and other extreme weather, the United Nations Children’s Fund said in a new report Friday.UNICEF said it amounted to one in seven school-going children across the world being kept out of class at some point in 2024 because of climate hazards.The report also outlined how some countries saw hundreds of their schools destroyed by weather, with low-income nations in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa hit especially hard.But other regions weren’t spared the extreme weather, as torrential rains and floods in Italy near the end of the year disrupted school for more than 900,000 children. Thousands had their classes halted after catastrophic flooding in Spain.While southern Europe dealt with deadly floods and Asia and Africa had flooding and cyclones, heat waves were “the predominant climate hazard shuttering schools last year,” UNICEF said, as the earth recorded its hottest year ever.More than 118 million children had their schooling interrupted in April alone, UNICEF said, as large parts of the Middle East and Asia, from Gaza in the west to the Philippines in the southeast, experienced a sizzling weeks-long heat wave with temperatures soaring above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).“Children are more vulnerable to the impacts of weather-related crises, including stronger and more frequent heat waves, storms, droughts, and flooding,” UNICEF executive director Catherine Russell said in a statement. “Children’s bodies are uniquely vulnerable. They heat up faster, they sweat less efficiently, and cool down more slowly than adults. Children cannot concentrate in classrooms that offer no respite from sweltering heat, and they cannot get to school if the path is flooded, or if schools are washed away.”Around 74% of the children affected in 2024 were in middle- and low-income countries, showing how climatic extremes continue to have a devastating impact in the poorest countries. Flooding ruined more than 400 schools in Pakistan in April. Afghanistan had heat waves followed by severe flooding that destroyed over 110 schools in May, UNICEF said.Months of drought in southern Africa exacerbated by the El Nio weather phenomenon threatened the schooling and futures of millions of children.And the crises showed little sign of abating. The poor French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean off Africa was left in ruins by Cyclone Chido in December and hit again by Tropical Storm Dikeledi this month, leaving children across the islands out of school for six weeks.Cyclone Chido also destroyed more than 330 schools and three regional education departments in Mozambique on the African mainland, where access to education is already a deep problem.UNICEF said the world’s schools and education systems “are largely ill-equipped” to deal with the effects of extreme weather. AP climate and environment news: https://apnews.com/climate-and-environment Gerald Imray, Associated Press
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