Machismo

Machismo refers to the sociocultural perception of men, particularly within Latino cultures, as strong, aggressive, and proud. The term machismo derives from the Spanish word for "man," but the word itself actually does not have a literal translation—machismo translates loosely as "one man exponentially enhanced." Indeed, much about machismo centers on exaggeration and amplification of traditional male virtues. Because of the growing influence of the Latin American population in the United States and because of increased scrutiny of paternalistic Latino cultures in an era of feminism, machismo has emerged as one of the potent and controversial aspects of the gender wars.

At the center of the controversy is how cultures define the concepts of male pride and identity. Machismo has been demonized by contemporary socioculturists as the impetus behind the data that draws clear patterns of sexual harassment and violence against women in Latin America. Advocates of male identity within Latin cultures, however, argue such a negative perception of machismo is in fact a deliberate misrepresentation of a traditional concept that has long been part of Latin culture and, in fact, defines the responsibility of a man to protect and provide for his family as a noble way to earn the respect of both his family and his community.

Background

The concept of machismo has no clear beginning, but has its roots in the traditionally ideal male qualities of virility, strength, power, and confidence. Women were expected to be domestic, passive, and obedient. Men were expected to have enormous sexual appetites and were not expected to be faithful, while purity and faithfulness were expected of women. Punishment for violation of this code would be meted out by the man—brutal beatings and even murder—without the expectation of any criminal charges against him. The gender roles were rigid and clearly defined, and drew on the region’s centuries-long tradition of Catholicism and the gender roles ingrained in the religion. Catholicism was exported to the New World and came to define gender models in Spanish and Portuguese colonies in both Latin America and South America. It developed from a historically Spanish sense of masculinity that valued responsibility and respect. Modern machismo, however, has become an exaggerated masculinity that is primarily about control.

The last hundred years has seen the rise of feminism and the fight for women’s rights worldwide. Particularly in countries where significant parts of the culture seek equality for the sexes, such as the United States, the machismo attitude that marginalizes women is at odds with cultural ideals. In the Latin American countries where machismo remains culturally significant, it creates a harmful and toxic environment for both men and women, particularly in countries where gangs and drug cartels have strong presence. Machismo culture is something that is passed from generation to generation. In poorer areas where the men have this exaggerated sense of masculinity but are unable to find gainful employment, they turn to gangs and criminal activity to prove their masculinity. The culture of machismo has been targeted by critics as being responsible for disturbing trends: routine sexual harassment in the workplace, public transportation systems, city streets, public schools, and universities. Women in these countries have reported a deliberate resistance against equal opportunities in the workplace, discrimination in education opportunities, ostracism by family for not marrying or for getting a divorce. The most dangerous trends are staggering increases in incidents of domestic abuse, of violent crimes against women (most notably rape, including spousal rape), and even femicide (the murder of girls or women because of their gender). For example, in 2022, the Gender Equality Observatory for Latin America and the Caribbean (GEO) of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean reported that 4,050 women and girls were victims of femicide in twenty-six countries and territories in Latin America and the Caribbean. An estimated, 120,000 women are raped per year in Mexico. These attitudes create a dangerous environment for women. Having a culture that expects extramarital affairs from its men has also created some communities with high concentrations of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and a high risk for spreading them further.

Impact

Because machismo has been widely appropriated by mass media, the effort to adjust the cultural perceptions of both men and women in countries where machismo culture is prevalent will take time. The best hope, cultural sociologists have argued, is in education. Part of the traditional perception of machismo is that the man will not be highly educated; indeed, within the machismo culture, education is considered effeminate.

Statistics have begun to reveal that Hispanic women, both in the United States and in Latin countries, are far more likely to complete college. Given the move in the global workplace away from industrial blue collar jobs and into administrative, tech-oriented white collar employment, educated Hispanic women have begun to assert a far more dominating presence in the international workplace. And because the digital revolution has made virtually every country, culture, and network diverse and multicultural, Hispanic women are enjoying access to prominent positions in a variety of areas long held the special province of the machismo male, including the criminal justice system, banking and finance, technology and information systems, education, and politics. This reculturalization will perhaps make inevitable the reconsideration of the implications of machismo and the definition of contemporary men and women.

Bibliography

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