MALE VULNERABILITY AND THE BURDENS OF PATRIARCHAL MASCULINITY IN AYOBAMI ADEBAYO’S STAY WITH ME

Abstract

This study examines male suffering under patriarchal structures, which despite appearing to privilege men, also subject them to forms of vulnerability that mostly remain unacknowledged. Drawing on R. W. Connell's theory of hegemonic masculinity, the study explores how patriarchal masculinity places men under persistent pressure to embody socially sanctioned ideals of strength, authority, and emotional restraint. These demands produce profound psychological consequences, including fractured identity, emotional withdrawal, and social isolation. The study also explores the strategies through which the male protagonist negotiates, resists, and challenges patriarchal expectations, arguing that although such acts of resistance remain constrained by established social structures, they create possibilities for reimagining and redefining masculinity. The paper concludes that men are also victims of patriarchal expectations and that the demands of these expectations affect them psychologically.