Measures of masculinity contest culture (MCC) examine the degree to which workplace norms align with traditional tenets of masculinity. MCC has typically been framed as a stressor, which is reinforced by previously detected negative relationships to job satisfaction. However, precarious manhood theory suggests the MCC-job satisfaction relationship may be more nuanced and impacted by gender as well as perceived social and in-role performance. As such, we posit high MCC environments are not necessarily a stressor, but rather that these competitive, masculine environments can be a strong fit for men who are high performers. To this end, we test three-way interactions between MCC, gender, and perceived social (quality of interpersonal links) and task (perceived competence) performance in the prediction of job satisfaction. Results show a three-way interaction among MCC, gender, and quality of interpersonal links, but not one among MCC, gender and perceived competence. Specifically, men who report strong interpersonal links in their work group have a null relationship between MCC and job satisfaction while women and men who report lesser quality workplace interpersonal links have a negative relationship between MCC and job satisfaction. Moreover, the relationship is most negative among men who report low interpersonal link quality relationships within these masculine environments, aligning with precarious manhood frameworks. Implications for career decisions and precarious manhood theory are highlighted.
