This ongoing international comparative research project investigates how male adolescents conceptualise gender and masculinity through peer-based group discussions. The study is based on the assumption that masculinity is a socially constructed phenomenon. Masculinity is actively negotiated during adolescence, particularly in peer group contexts. Current discourses on masculinity are situated in a field of tension between two opposing dynamics: on the one hand, an increasing tendency towards an inclusive notion of sexual and gender diversity and, on the other hand, the traditionalisation and re-authorisation of hegemonic masculinity.

From a sociological perspective, the construction of masculinity is critically linked to broader issues of gender equality and democratic participation. In the field of education, it raises important questions about gendered socialisation processes. Preliminary international comparisons suggest that while certain structural patterns in the construction of masculinity appear to be consistent across contexts (e.g. autonomy), there are also region-specific variations that correlate with different socio-cultural gender regimes. Data analysis will be carried out using grounded theory methodology. So far, group discussions have been conducted in Germany, Taiwan and Denmark.