I must clarify that my use of the words 'masculine' and 'feminine' here is largely related to stereotypical activities, and some behavioral traits that are commonly associated with each gender. Gender identity, is, of course, complicated. Furthermore, not all characteristics of either are celebrated, and this is not a universal experience.

EDIT: This is further exacerbated due to this idea of 'Male Characteristics' being resolute and noble (leadership, valor, stability, intelligence); while 'Female Characteristics' being obedient and meek (motherhood, softness, fragility). In my post, I will be using the words 'masculine', 'feminine', and their derivatives, as mostly associated with 'male activities', 'female activities', and the stereotypical heteronormative gender roles assigned to us. I do no believe in the separation of values assigned by gender; and while they play a part in the backdrop of society (and indeed these ideas are very prevalent), my post deals more with the overall erasure of gender role lines, and less with the associated values. Essentially, I'm not claiming that women becoming more 'male' is a good thing, but rather that the good work is done by removing the idea of 'male values' and 'female values' in themselves.

I'll start off with children's toys and games. I think it's quite well known, that for a long time (and this is still the case for many people and places), toys, clothes, interests, and games for kids were gendered. The stereotypical "boys like cars, girls like dolls", "boys like blue, girls like pink", or "boys wear pants, girls wear skirts", the list goes on. A lot of progress has been made, but really only in one direction. Many girls are also encouraged to play with cars and trucks, or to wear blue, or to wear pants; but the reverse isn't true. Girls are encouraged to pursue 'male' activities, but boys are still largely shunned for liking 'female' activities. You see a lot of girls pushed to enjoy male spaces, but boys enjoying female spaces are looked down upon.

In school, at least for me, Boys = Math, Physics, Economics; and Girls = Linguistics, Social Sciences, Biology. It's even seen in the university choices. Everyone from my school went on to college, most boys went into finance, CS, engineering; most girls went into medicine, humanities, arts. However, there was always a push for girls to pursue 'male' fields, for girls to be better at math or economics, for girls to "give the boys a run for their money". This was rarely true in the opposite case. Apart from medicine, boys were often seen as lesser if they pursued more 'female' fields. I will add, though, that this was mostly due to the ways our Asian parents raised us. For many Asians, men were expected to be the breadwinner, but women had more freedom in education. While I personally love physics, math, and engineering more than anything else in the world, I know that if I was more inclined towards history or sociology, I'd be ostracized by my family.

This has also led to wider societal effects. Women are encouraged to 'act more male', and for gender boundaries and restrictions for women to be torn down. Whether a few decades back (women can earn their own living), or recently (a push for a total gender-role destruction); the push har largely been female-centric. This is, I'll add, mostly because feminism is making these pushes for women, and there's no real male equivalent.

Here's a small example; I'm bisexual, and I like to wear eyeliner, earrings, and crop tops. I have many straight guy friends, and some wish that they could "be as free as me in fashion". I always reply by asking what's stopping them, but I know why. Society in general does not really accept men engaging in 'feminine fields'. I do not, however, see my girl-friends having issues with wearing 'male fashion', or enjoying 'male activities'. I have a bi (mostly lesbian) friend who dresses like a middle aged blue collar dad; but there's no real guy equivalent of that.

This leads to a stifling of expression and emotion. Women are encouraged to explore themselves and defy gender expectations, men are not. Men do not have this freedom. To many men, this leads to a sense of hypocrisy; women can 'safely enjoy male spaces', men cannot do the same with 'female spaces'. It leads to frustration, many men see women happily living more progressive changes, but they feel left out.

Here's the funny part though, it's mostly men who push this status. In many ways, feminism has helped erase some of this divide, but men don't do anything similar. Instead of trying to find more freedom and helping fellow men explore gender dynamics and deconstruction of roles, many of us double down on this system, which ultimately causes more resentment. Their (these particular men) ideas are that a return to more heteronormative life would take away these freedoms from women, which would make everyone equally miserable.