This article explores and interprets the various meanings that male adolescents give to masculinity, intermale tensions and oppositions, and their differential appraisals of men who participate in so-called women's sports—that is, men who transgress the rules of the gender order in sport. This study is theoretically inspired by Harding's (1986) conceptualization of the three processes that produce gender social life: gender symbolism, gender structure, and individual gender. Content analysis of 174 essays written by boys from three different socioeconomic milieux indicates that class interweaves with gender at both the symbolic and structural levels. Boys' images of masculinities as well as their appraisals of men's transgressions revealed differences that were closely linked to the specific material conditions in which they arose; they show specific class interests and intraclass gendered power relationships. As opposed to the girls' appraisals, the boys showed a marked reluctance toward degendering. The degendering issue is discussed.
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