Man being the breadwinner could be the norm in the traditional image of masculinity but men stepping down would be the norm. What is Masculinity in Wikipedia and what does it have to do with its history.

Relative to this, a cowardly man would be seen as more feminine than the alpha male ideal of masculinity. In modern society, boundaries are more blurred, so it’s probably a matter of opinion rather than fact.

How do you respond to “girlish coward” in dsk comments?

I don’t think it does. There are other epithets that describes cowardice that do imply lack of masculinity.

According to etymonline cowardice describes originally the idea of running with the tail between the legs, but it does not question one’s masculinity by being indecent.

On the other hand, expressions like grow a pair suggest that the addressee does not have testicles – thus certainly claiming that he lacks masculinity.

If you call someone a sissy, you allude to his overly present feminine side.

As for your combination of “girlish coward”, I would say it is not common, but it will be readily understood. What is the difference between “comedy,” shy, or coward” and girlish? If you think a man is a coward, calling him a girl is just icing on the cake.

Masculinity and femininity exist in a spectrum. They are defined only by culture. Can we define cowardice as being of a male or female without just being feminine?

In some cultures the answer is yes, while in others it is no, and in others it is not even part of the discussion of gender traits. I would say that in some cultures the answer is yes, while in others it is no.

In my opinion, it would be best not to question what gender something such as cowardice

implies.

I believe you are looking for a word which means “girlish coward”.

The term sissy often means acting in a cowardly and girly way. As an old schoolboy, who is always accused of being a sissy, it is very derogatory towards his classmates. They are often deemed “sissies” and can be accused of being so much like they are.

Issy : a boy who likes things that girls usually like; a person who is
so shy and afraid; a timid or cowardly
person.

Why are girls so stupid and mean you can’t handle it? Men use like that expression with impunity, but a woman uses the expression easily.

I have never heard the term Girlish coward. I need an explanation. In Western culture, women are often said to make a pair grow. to their girls it’s said by women. Women more or also. Is this true among young women? Marie Forleo tells people that anyone should grow a pair of ovaries!

When I hear coward, I don’t think of male/female, maybe because growing up, I heard the term yellow applied to cowards (derived from yellow belly ), as well as buck up and stiff upper lip, none of which are very emasculating.

I’ve seen cowardly men and cowardly women. I don’t think of it as gendered at all. Any woman with a third child is as brave as any man.

Schwarzenegger coined the expression girlie man, apparently referring to their appearance: “They all look

like a bunch of girlie men, right?” “…

and their alleged cowardice: “…

If they don’t have audacious style, I call them girlie men. Apart

from that it’s not a common association.