Latin American Masculinity Culture

A phenomenon that remained constant in the Dominican Republic and in the United States was that of masculinity. In both cultures, the idea of “machismo” is extremely prevalent and inevitably determines the manner in which a man can act in society. Although I am privileged as a man in our larger society, there are many disadvantages that come with being a man of color in our society. In Dominican culture, there is a heightened sense of masculinity, and the standards of what a man is supposed to be are so difficult to obtain. To be masculine in Dominican culture is to assume the role of “machismo” by forgetting about feelings and emotions. Everything from how men act, to what men dress like is determined by this idea. Following this idea, I have to almost treat women as inferior and make them follow the ideals of the submissive housewife. Even more so, I am supposed to spend an immense amount of time chasing after women and trying to win them over through derogatory means. I did not like the idea of “machismo” and it never peaked my interest as a child, but my father’s involvement in my life deeply affected the manner in which I perceived masculinity. When my father was present in my life, he made sure to constantly remind me of what a man was supposed to be. He always told me that I was not allowed to cry because men do not cry, and said that I always had to be strong because someday I would have to provide for my wife and I could not be weak in order to do that. With this

The United States is made up of an astounding assortment of people of all different types, boasting one of the most diverse populations compared to anywhere around the world. Of these different peoples, toxic masculinity affects each group differently, with an especially profound effect to be found when studying those who identify as Latin- or Hispanic-American. While attempting to homogenize the many unique and beautiful facets of various Latin and Hispanic cultures is a disservice, they tend to share many traits which can be simplified, including their ideas on gender roles. In many Hispanic cultures, there are strong gender roles and ideas about gender that are traditionally built into every aspect of the culture, especially in the form of “machismo”, or the Hispanic ideas of masculinity. In some cultures, “…women are supposedly submissive… men are characterized by verbal and bodily aggression… and sexual dominance,” (Cantú 150). When combined with the gendered expectations and stereotypes that are increasingly prevalent in American culture, young Hispanic-American boys are growing up with an overwhelming volume of standards being impressed upon them from all sides. This same phenomenon can be seen again in African-American communities and cultures, with the already painfully present standards of white American masculinity being taken to another level by a culture which serves to pile on an even stricter set of standards on to its men. As with the Latin American ideas of

Understanding the differences and similarities inherent in other cultures may provide opportunities when working with individuals (or groups) who may have different cultural values, beliefs, and/or norms. There are multiple ways to explore different cultures. One way is through Hofstede’s (2017) cultural dimension; which are currently made up of six broad categories, including high-low power distance, individualism-collectivism, masculinity-femininity, uncertainty avoidance, long-short term orientation, and indulgence-restraint. It is beyond the scope of this paper to explore all these cultural dimensions in great detail; however, it is important to understand some of the implications of these scores. The scores for both the US and China can be seen in Table 1, along with the differences between each score.

Mexican-American culture has been characterized as a family-focused, community-oriented culture. Even second and third-generation Mexican-Americans place a higher value upon their relationships with others versus personal autonomy, in contrast with the dominant values of the United States. Living in extended family situations, or being influenced by extended family is much more common in Mexican culture than in other cultures. The core values of Mexican culture are said to be "familismo, personalismo, and respeto. Familismo involves placing the family ahead of individual interests, living near extended family, making collective decisions that involve one or more members of the family, and feeling responsible for and obligated to the family...Personalismo involves the building and valuing of interpersonal relationships...Respeto refers to the high regard for family and community members, especially for authority figures and the elderly" (Neff, Brabeck, Kearney 2006).

Hofstede uses the words masculinity and femininity to refer to the degree to which masculine or feminine traits are valued or revealed (Samovar, Porter and McDaniel). The United States rates as a moderately masculine. Countries that favor masculinity stress equity, competition, and performance(Yates). They also strive for material success and expected to respect whatever is big, strong, and fast. France values femininity and stress equality, solidarity, and quality of work life (Yates). A feminine worldview maintains that men can assume nurturing roles while promoting sexual equality. One major difference in masculine/feminine cultures is the role of the woman in the workplace and at home. Feminine societies expect women to work and often provide the necessary social support systems. Although the United States is more masculine than France both countries treat females as equals.

The Mexican culture places a high value on family. They are close-knit and united. It is common for the extended family to reside with the family in the same home. The Mexican men role is to be the support system in the household. In the Mexican culture, they are called machismo, which confirms the dominance and authority in the family. Violence is a characteristic of the machismo’s culture. They are known to be respected and seniority over the women. The women are required to tend to the house chores and take care of the children. They are expected to follow all directives given by the husbands. The husband being the head of the household is a culture norm for Mexicans. The children are to be respectable and obedient and reside with their parents regardless of the age until they are married.

Many studies on masculinity have often revealed how Machismo is embedded in the Latino culture within the United States. Machismo is defined as a strong sense of masculine pride as exhibited by Latino men. In the Latino culture, machismo is not only accepted, but always expected. In any study that investigates the Latino group, machismo is a subject that cannot be ignored.

America used to have the same gender roles as Hispanic culture but now it’s been fading away quickly and are getting close to gender equality while Hispanic culture are still behind compared to other developing countries culture. In Hispanic culture there are two types of roles, Machismo which applied to the male and Marianismo to the female. Machismo is associated with dominant and Marianismo is associated with dependent and submissive.

Machismo, or male chauvinism, is a concept that characterizes many Latin American male behaviors, most importantly those associated with masculinity and pride. This concept, most likely introduced to New Spain by Spanish conquistadors who embodied these traits, was then adopted and integrated as a part of Mexican culture going forward. Because of male masculinity prevailing over feminine traits during the 17th century, misogyny and the oppression of women became a norm in Mexican culture. Struggling to be valued in Mexico, women turned to literature and art to voice their opinions and expose the machismo in Mexican culture. Through literature and art, is where feminism in Mexico arose and is continually strengthen in. This paper will discuss the ways in which Mexican feminist literature and art over time have exposed and challenged machismo, misogyny, and the Mexican patriarchy since the Spanish Conquest.

In society men are told they must be the toughest, strongest, and bravest. Whether it be in sports, work, or even to their own families they pressured to prove their manliness. Various cultures around the world have their very own set of expectations when it comes to men and women. In some Latino cultures masculinity is a very important. Since the day males are born they are raised to be masculine and masculine only. Traits that some believe to be feminine are frown upon and if a boy exhibits them they are disciplined, bullied, and in some cases even ostracized for not following the macho norms. In Latino cultures there is a culturally constructed concept that has to do with male dominance and hypermasculinity. This concept is machismo. Machismo is a strong sense of masculine pride (“Machismo”). Machismo is the term that many people in Latino cultures use to describes the actions and beliefs, that hypermasculine men exhibit. Although this concept is used to described the sense of masculine pride, it is not really considered to be a positive term. When the term is used, it is used to point out the negative actions and effects that it causes or can cause. Machismo is not only exclusive to Latino cultures, machismo attitudes and behaviors are present in many cultures of Asia, Europe, and Africa, as well as the Americas (Perilla, 116). Many other cultures do have their own terms to describe men who are hyper masculine and believe in male dominance, but machismo is the term that

Throughout the world, women are treated differently than men due to solely to their gender. This is heightened in certain countries due to the culture believes that have shaped every aspect of the culture. This is clearly displayed through the machismo culture which is in most latin American countries. This culture has dictated the way which the societies have been built which means it affects every aspect of The machismo culture negatively affects society for both men and women. Women are forced to be submissive while men are pushed to assert their musicality to dangerous levels. This can be seen through the domestic abuse epidemic, homosexual repression, and other aspects of the Latino community; this type of culture needs to change to progress

Normally when machismo comes up in a conversation, people are probably criticizing the behavior of a person or glorifying it. Machismo is generally referred to when men behave in an arrogant and aggressive manner often glorifying virility. Men who usually behave in this manner repute all feminine virtues in order to feel secure with their manhood, often going to extremes to protect their manly image. Even though this form of behavior is common among men everywhere, it is wrongly associated with an entire continent of Latin American men.

Therefore, Mexican workers tend to be very dedicated to their jobs. Mexicans do not hesitate to go for the extra miles to work longer hours to make additional money to support their family. One major cultural clash between Anglo Americans and Mexicans are concept of timeliness. Punctuality is not big concern for Mexicans. American culture featured promptness and timeliness; the Mexican culture could care less. Mexicans believe their supervisors know everything and should always show respect to authority and not ever questioning their supervisors and elderly ever. It is considered disrespectful to question supervisors and elderly. Therefore, in this case study, it is possible that Jose Alvarado could be a younger Latino manager. So, that could explain why he is having trouble and difficulty to supervise his Latino workers. Also, keeping a harmony relationship with their own fellows are also very important to them. Therefore, it will be a challenge task for Alvarado to criticize his fellow Latino workers. This could possibly be the reason why Alvarado is dissatisfied with his new title. In the workplace, the cultural differences in terms of personal sensitivity are the source of many, if not most, of the conflicts between Mexicans and Americans. Americans, for the most part, are individualistic, competitive, and comfortable working on their own. Americans think highly of personal initiative and are self-starters. When

The world average for the Masculinity Dimension is 50, with both the United States and Australia having a higher ranking. Traits associated with masculinity are assertiveness, material success, and individual achievement. The female population has adapted these traits and begun to shift toward a more traditional male role, with an increasing number of women continuing to enter the workforce. The direct communication style of the United States illustrates the masculine traits. The U.S. places heavy emphasis on getting their point across rather than getting to know those they are doing business with. This dimension is closely related to both countries’ rankings in the individuality dimension.

Hofstede’s six dimensions is a work of cross- cultural communication, which was established by Greet Hofstede. He developed this model and has been used in various fields as paradigm for research, particularly in cross-cultural psychology, international management, and cross-cultural communication. It’s one of the most effective resources that can be used in multiple fields. Hofstede’s six dimensions of national culture are, Power Distance Index (PDI), Individualism vs. Collectivism (IDV), Masculinity vs. Femininity (MAS), Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI), Long Term Orientation vs. Short Term Normative Orientation (LTO) and Indulgence vs. Restraint (IND) and Power Distance Index (PDI). However, to become an effective leader, Power Distance Index (PDI) and Long Term Orientation vs. Short Term Normative Orientation (LTO) is a good combination.