Mexican Masculinity Analysis

436 Words2 Pages

Masculinity/femininity and Mexican Culture

In the Mexican family, "familismo" describes family pride, loyalty, and sense of belonging. The need for survival strengthens the familial bond, because the problem of one becomes a problem for the entire family. Despite the collectivist view of "all for one, and one for all," a distinct definition of roles is in existence within the family, with an authoritative husband-father who ideally is the breadwinner and a submissive wife-mother who cares for the home and rears the children (Kras, 1995). This statement describes the Mexican culture's belief in Mexican male superiority (machismo). Hofstede (1983) labeled this dimension: "masculinity versus femininity" and found Mexico to be "masculine" with male and female roles clearly …show more content…

In masculine dominant societies, males are expected to be more aggressive and controlling than women. This includes the total control of financial matters. As stated earlier, Mexican women are the keepers of the home, but they may make only small daily decisions, depending entirely on the husband for money. Even when Mexican women are employed outside the home, the man is in charge of all major financial decisions, and the women is left to fulfill her full-time responsibilities at home as well as at work. With the established roles clearly defined in the Mexican family, there appears to be no conflict concerning the issue of money and power (Falicov, 2001). But conflicts may originate when a Mexican male cannot provide for the family, thus losing his position of respect and authority in the family. In the meantime, the woman out of necessity may seek work outside the household making the adjustment for both partners difficult (Falicov, 1998). The male may exhibit more machismo, or aggressive dominant behavior, and upon finding suitable work may force the woman to quit her job (Guendelman, Samuels, & Ramirez,

Open Document