Romance and property topmale traits, say local men

Local men believe long-term romantic partnerships and property ownership are among the most important examples of modern masculinity, according to a new survey.

Burts Chips, a crisp manufacturer, asked Northern Irish men what they thought were the most important examples of being men, to mark their new campaign, ‘Do It Right.’

Meeting his first serious partner (44 per cent), finding his own personal style (35 per cent), and buying his first home (26 per cent) were chosen as the most popular achievements for a man in his 20s, but more traditionally masculine tasks such as putting up a shelf or building a flat pack item from scratch (13 per cent), buying a toolbox (9 per cent), and learning how to fix small everyday issues on his car (8 per cent), and all ranked significantly lower.

Northern Irish men generally shunned traditionally masculine answers, with creating his first campfire from scratch (8 per cent), taking on his first home renovation project (4 per cent), and winning man of the match for his sports team (1%) ranking as much less significant examples of becoming a man in their 20s.

A fifth (21 per cent) of men in their 20s, also sensibly said that learning their alcohol limits was an important example of men who Do It Right, dispelling the myth of boozy beer-swilling blokes.

The unpopularity of macho-male stereotypes was also clear, as men thought that the best examples of male celebrity role models were Andy Murray (20s), Prince Harry (30s), David Beckham (40s) George Clooney (50s) and Liam Neeson (60s).

Northern Irish men do become more typically practical as they age, with popular examples of “being a man” in their 40s being giving his first public speech (26 per cent), ironing his shirts (21 per cent) and knowing a good wine on the menu (21 per cent). In similar fashion, growing his own vegetables (39 per cent), was one of the most popular activities for men a man in his 50s.

When asked, “what makes a man?” courage was described as the manliest trait (34 per cent), followed by being protective of others (34 per cent), and intelligence (30 per cent). Surprisingly, kindness was voted the characteristic that men described as being the least manly (4 per cent).

91 per cent of Northern Irish men thought that good cooking skills were important for man to have and two thirds of men (65 per cent) thought that rather than getting involved in a fight with another man, a real man should first try talking to defuse the situation

Simon Knight, Sales and Marketing Director for Burts Chips commented: “We launched our Do It Right campaign to reflect the men out there who take pride in being men and in turn take pride in everything they do, in the same way that we take pride in the making of our Burts Chips. Through Do It Right, we are encouraging men to be men, and even if they no longer consider traditionally male activities to be as important they still want to ensure that whatever they do, it is done with pride, precision and care.”

Keep an eye out for the Do It Right campaign across the Burts Chips Facebook (www.facebook.com/BurtsChips) and Twitter (@BurtsChips) channels and your chance to win fantastic prizes.