Male university students “less macho” when living in mixed accommodation, study finds

Male students are “less macho” when sharing university accommodation with women, a joint study by Essex University and the University of Technology Sydney has found.  

Downing pints, flexing muscles, and jeering chants may all be – for better or worse – recognisable and often parodied features of university life. But now research has suggested that this ‘macho’ behaviour can be influenced by who male students live with. 

The joint study followed a group of British students living in halls of residence over a one-year period, assessing the group twice – once during their first year, and again as they entered their second year.  

Students were asked to complete a paid task to measure their competitiveness. Those in the study were given the choice between earning a fixed amount for completing the task or receiving a higher sum if they won a competition. 

 Results found that male students living in mixed accommodation were “less macho, more mellow”

Results found that male students living in mixed accommodation were “less macho, more mellow”, with a notable decrease in competitiveness, compared to other males. 

There was no effect on female students, however, with their level of competitiveness not found to be dependent on who they shared accommodation with. 

The paper concluded that “exposure to a gender unbalanced environment can influence male competitive preferences even within a relatively short period of time”. 

Dr Angus Holford, Senior Research Fellow at Essex University and co-author of the research paper, told The Guardian that: “Living with more female flatmates means men’s competitiveness is more likely to go down over time, whilst the flipside is that, with more male flatmates, it’s more likely to go up over time.” 

He added that “competitiveness is not a fixed trait”, but rather a trait that is responsive to the surrounding environment of the individual.  

The study, in line with previous research, also suggested that a ‘good level’ of competitiveness can lead to an increase in performance, particularly within men. Dr Holford noted that: “People who are more competitive are getting higher grades, they go on to have higher salaries – later, they have higher life satisfaction.” 

An excessive amount of competitiveness has also been found to cause notable downsides

However, an excessive amount of competitiveness has also been found to cause notable downsides. Overly competitive individuals tend to experience lower self-esteem and higher rates of anxiety and depression than others.  

A culture of hyper-competitiveness in ‘dysfunctional’ work environments, seen in companies such as Nike and Goldman Sachs, is driving the trend of competitiveness, with workplace stress now the fifth leading cause of death in the US. 

Masculine bravado and hyper-competitiveness at university can also lead to misogynistic behaviour across campuses. Machismo also plays a hand in the poor rate of mental health disclosures amongst men in comparison to women. In 2020, men were found to be 2.2% less likely to report a mental health condition than women.  

While the research suggests that mixing with different people at university leads to a decrease of machoism in men, a wider message can be concluded that living at university allows students to broaden their perspectives and empathise with others on a greater level – particularly with those that students are likely to have not met in the ‘outside world’.