Final answer:
A real man is portrayed as someone who is involved in a lifelong project, mastering essential life skills and fulfilling various familial and societal roles. Studies have revealed the importance of fatherhood in shaping masculinity, with active engagement and affection leading to diverse social and cultural expressions of what a real man is. This involves not only providing and nurturing but also adhering to and promoting cultural values and virtues.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to the perspective provided by diverse cultural studies and anthropology, a real man is defined not just by a single characteristic but as a result of continuous personal development and engagement in social responsibilities. Cultural anthropologist Daniel Jordan Smith, in his book 'To Be a Man Is Not a One-Day Job,' highlights that becoming a man is an enduring process, where men are expected to fulfill roles that evolve from childhood into their senior years, entailing the mastery of survival, showing love, provisioning for family, and organizing significant family ceremonies, such as a father's funeral.
Further studies, like those by Barry Hewlett studying the Aka of central Africa, show that fatherhood is key in shaping masculinity; fathers demonstrate affection and involvement in their children's lives, challenging assumptions that men are naturally inept at childcare. Concurrently, Confucian philosophy emphasizes the importance of a father's role in nurturing, educating, and receiving respect from his children, which is also reflected in the perceived duties between father and son in various cultural narratives.
In societies like Stalinist Russia, the father figure extended to national leadership, with leaders often seen as paternal figures. This concept of masculinity is intertwined with leadership, protection, guidance, and the promotion of societal or national values.