This document examines cultural masculinity and the concept of machismo in Latin cultures. It defines masculinity and machismo, and discusses how they are influenced by both biological and cultural factors. Machismo in Latin societies emphasizes traits like assertiveness, strength, and providing for one's family. However, immigration and acculturation to Western societies have created struggles with masculine identity for Latino men. This can result in stress, aggression, and mental health issues as masculine roles change.
Sexuality and Identity: Scientific Findings
Paul R. McHugh, MD
Aaron Kheriaty, MD
Executive Summary of “Living the Truth in Love”
An international conference and resource event to address pastoral approaches toward men and women with homosexual tendencies
October 2, 2015
Pontifical University of St. Thomas Rome, Italy
Today, terms like “homosexual persons” and “sexual orientation” are used as if they had a univocal meaning and described objective, even obvious realities existing in the world. But phrases like “homosexual persons” and “sexual orientation” can be misleading, and words like “homosexual” and “homosexuality” are ambiguous.
Insisting on language better suited to scientific and anthropological realities will help clarify the truth about our identity as human persons and the true basis of our dignity, for those within and beyond our religious communities.
Sexuality and Identity: Scientific Findings
Paul R. McHugh, MD
Aaron Kheriaty, MD
Executive Summary of “Living the Truth in Love”
An international conference and resource event to address pastoral approaches toward men and women with homosexual tendencies
October 2, 2015
Pontifical University of St. Thomas Rome, Italy
Today, terms like “homosexual persons” and “sexual orientation” are used as if they had a univocal meaning and described objective, even obvious realities existing in the world. But phrases like “homosexual persons” and “sexual orientation” can be misleading, and words like “homosexual” and “homosexuality” are ambiguous.
Insisting on language better suited to scientific and anthropological realities will help clarify the truth about our identity as human persons and the true basis of our dignity, for those within and beyond our religious communities.
This article discusses how masculinity vs feminism works. (This article has not been proof read). This work was done due to a curiosity generated through communication studies in my sophomore year of college.
Here's the question: Discuss the evolutionary explanations of aggressive behaviour. (24 marks)
The slideshare is the answer.
Got almost full marks.
A01, A02 AND A03 is separated to make life easier!
You're welcome :)
This article discusses how masculinity vs feminism works. (This article has not been proof read). This work was done due to a curiosity generated through communication studies in my sophomore year of college.
Here's the question: Discuss the evolutionary explanations of aggressive behaviour. (24 marks)
The slideshare is the answer.
Got almost full marks.
A01, A02 AND A03 is separated to make life easier!
You're welcome :)
I would like to share here my ppt presentation of this SLA theory. It was hard finding and putting together the right materials or articles for my report but my Professor liked this final presentation^^ Through other presentations I found online, I somehow gained the idea on what and how to report it.
I hope this will also help other MALED students researching for this topic^^
Kindly inform me if I failed to cite other sources that you know or see. Thank you very much.
COLLEGE PHYSICSChapter # Chapter TitlePowerPoint ImageLynellBull52
COLLEGE PHYSICS
Chapter # Chapter Title
PowerPoint Image Slideshow
INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY
Chapter 12 GENDER, SEX AND SEXUALITY
What is Gender?
Gender
refers to the personal traits and life chances that a society links to being female or male.
Sex
is the biological distinction between females and males.
Intersexed
(click for video)
*
Gender identity: Psychological gender perception. Personal experience and performance of gender.
sociologist argue that gender is both externally and internally prescribed.
Gender role: cultural norms for male and female behavior. Social expectation in gendered behavior which is specific to culture.
What are Sex and Gender?
Intersex
people born with any of several variations in sex characteristics including chromosomes gonadssex hormonesgenitals that "do not” fit the typical definitions for male or female bodies
Intersexed (click for video)
*
Androgen (male hormone)
Androgen insensitivity syndrome (unable to respond to androgen) AIS
Klinefelter syndrome (XXY)
Triple X syndrome
Challenging the Gender Binary Third Gender
Gender Fluidity
Androgyny
Agender
Gender nonconformity
Gender fluidity: flexible range of gender and gender expressions that can change over time.
Third gender: a social category in which an individual can represent gender in a variety of ways independent of male or female or feminine or masculine; intermediate between genders; as neither gender; cross or swap genders.
Androgyny: display both feminine and masculine gender characteristics.
Agender: someone who does not identify with either gender; gender neutral
Gender non-conformity: doing gender in ways that are atypical for their prescribed gender assignment.
*
Gender Identity and Gender Role Native Fa’afafine Latin America Muxe/Muxhe (click for video)African MashogaEuropeBurrnesha Asian Hijra (click for video)
*
Gender Roles and Gender Identity
Theories of Gender
Theories of Gender Roles Essentialists
Evolutionary
Materialist/Economic
Essentialists: rely on biological or natural explanations of gender and gender role assignments: gender behavior is shaped by hormones
Evolutionary: Also based on biological or natural explanations of gender, but claims human beings are in constant state of adaptation to their environment in order to ensure survival. Gendered division of labor is functional need for the human family to survive. This is a very functionalist perspective.
Materialist/Economic: emphasize the impact of basic human economic needs in the formation of gender roles. Also explore and critique gender roles within the economic system of capitalism.
According to Bourdieu, cultural capital comes in three forms—embodied, objectified, and institutionalized. One’s accent or dialect is an example of embodied cultural capital, while a luxury car or record collection are examples of cultural capital in its objectified state. In its institutionalized form, cultural capital refers t ...
Before talking about feminism, we must talk about the word patriarchy which refers to any form of social power given disproportionately to men. The word patriarchy literally means the rule of the Male or Father.
Readings and ResourcesArticles, Websites, and VideosDiscussio.docxlillie234567
Readings and Resources
Articles, Websites, and Videos:
Discussions pertaining to gender can be touchy. In this 7-minute video, viewers will be presented with both sides of the argument as to whether you believe gender is actually a social construct or you do not – then, you can decide for yourself!
https://youtu.be/s33R4OnW-eo
In this video, which has been viewed over 50 million times, a 26 year-old mother, Emma Murphy, talks of her experiences in a domestic violence relationship. After show a video with graphic images of her injuries, she discusses how she left her abuser, gaining strength from her experiences, not letting them define her or diminish her self-worth.
https://youtu.be/frFEdN7aMh8
Sexual assault is one of the most underreported forms of violence against another person. Why? This video provides firsthand accounts of sexual assault survivors and the reality of how they were treated after the attack. It allows us to understand the barriers which prevent survivors from coming forward.
https://youtu.be/HxP4Djzv3FA
The brains of children changes as a result of exposure to dysfunctional familial relationships, stress and exposure to trauma. This video examines how children develop a “learning brain” under healthy conditions and a “survival brain” when faced with harsh conditions. How these two brains interact is important towards our understanding of human behaviors.
https://youtu.be/KoqaUANGvpA
This video looks at the impact of gender in our society through the eyes of 12 year-old Audrey Mason-Hyde and the world she experiences.
https://youtu.be/NCLoNwVJA-0Gender, Gender Identity, Gender Expression, and Sexism
Chapter 9Chapter Introduction
AP Images/J. ScottApplewhiteLearning Objectives
This chapter will help prepare students to
EP 2a
EP 2b
EP 2c
EP 3a
EP 3b
EP 6a
EP 7b
EP 8b
· LO 1 Define gender, gender identity, gender expression, and gender roles
· LO 2 Discuss the social construction of gender
· LO 3 Examine the complexities of gender, gender identity, and gender expression.
· LO 4 Evaluate traditional gender-role stereotypes over the lifespan
· LO 5 Assess some differences between men and women (including abilities and communication styles)
· LO 6 Discuss economic inequality between men and women
· LO 7 Examine sexual harassment
· LO 8 Review sexist language
· LO 9 Examine rape and sexual assault
· LO 10 Explore intimate partner violence
· LO 11 Identify means of empowering women
Girls are pretty. Boys are strong.
Girls are emotional. Boys are brave.
Girls are soft. Boys are tough.
Girls are submissive. Boys are dominant.
These statements express some of the traditional stereotypes about men and women.
Stereotypes are “fixed mental images of members belonging to a group based on assumed attributes that portray an overly simplified opinion about that group.” (Kirst-Ashman & Hull, 2012b, p. 25). The problem with such fixed images is that they allow no room for individual differences within the group. One of the major values adhe.
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How Culture Constructs Gender DifferenceBiological models PazSilviapm
How Culture Constructs Gender Difference
Biological models assume that biological sex determines gender,
That biological differences lead to behavior differences, which lead to social arrangements.
By this account, social inequalities are encoded into our physiological composition.
That biological anomalies alone account for variation.
Biological researchers always assumed that gender difference implied gender inequality because western notions of difference do usually lead to and justify inequality.
However, some anthropologists argue that biological models projected their western values onto other cultures.
That these models ignore the role of colonialism and the roles of women in establishing gender differences in traditional cultures.
Anthropological evidence offers a world of amazing diversity of the cultural constructions of gender.
Yet some themes remain constant:
Virtually all societies manifest some amount of difference between men and women.
Virtually all cultures exhibit some form of male domination, despite variations in gender definitions.
Variations in Gender Definitions
Anthropologists have found far more variability in the definitions of masculinity and femininity than any biologist would have predicted.
Men possessed of similar levels of testosterone, with similar brain structure and lateralization, seem to exhibit dramatically different levels of aggression, violence, and, especially, violence toward women.
Women with similar brains, hormones, and evolutionary imperatives have widely different experiences of passivity, PMS, and spatial coordination.
Margaret Meade’s Work
Meade examined three very different cultures in New Guinea.
In the Arapesh culture, all members were passive, gentle, and emotionally warm.
Males and females were equally happy, trustful, and confident.
Men and women shared child rearing, both were “maternal” and both discouraged aggression in boys and girls.
Both men and women were thought to be relatively equally sexual.
In the Mundugamor culture (a tribe of head hunters and cannibals), citizens viewed men and women as similar but expected persons of both sexes to be violent and aggressive.
Women showed little “maternal instinct,” detested pregnancy and nursing and could hardly wait to return to the serious business of work.
There was violent rivalry between fathers and sons.
All people feared that they were being wronged by others.
In the Tchambuli culture (as in the US) men and women were seen as very different.
It was a patrilineal culture and polygyny was accepted.
One sex was comprised primarily of nurturing and gossipy consumers who spent their days dressing up and going shopping.
These were the men
The women were dominant, energetic, economic providers.
They fished (activity on which the entire culture depended).
They had real positions of power in the society.
Completely unadorned, they were business- like, controlled all commerce and diplomacy of the culture, and were the initiators of ...
1. MASCULINITY AND MACHISMO:
AN IN DEPTH EXAMINATION OF CULTURAL MASCULINITY AND
ITS IMPLICATIONS IN LATIN CULTURES
By
Sarah Vogt
Senior Seminar
Anth 4980
5/7/2015
2. 1
ABSTRACT
This paper examines the term and understanding of masculinity across
Latin cultures and in the United States. The status symbol of being masculine
Latin societies is defined as Machismo. The pressure of trying to adhere to the
rigid definition of manliness in these societies with the changing definition of
masculinity and the acculturation to a more western liberal mindset causes both
mental and manifested physical stress. I will also discuss the biological and
cultural explanations for the prevalence of masculinity.
Keywords: Masculinity, Latin America, Machismo, Acculturation
Introduction:
The determiners of masculinity vary and take on different definitions
regarding the cultures in which it is presented. These definitions are structured
around a dichotomous view point in regards to the way in which men and women
are examined. In many instances masculinity is defined by what feminine is and
taking the opposite angle. The level of masculinity is on a continuum and
displays differently in individuals given the context culture and individual.
Masculinity takes on a rigid definition when applied to Latin cultures specifically
3. 2
regarded as “Machisomo”. The determiners and the prevalence of masculinity
and machismo are the result from both culture and biology, exemplifying the unity
between nature and nurture. In Latin cultures where machismo is socialized into
men from a young age there has been a deleterious effect towards self-identity
with the changing culture due to immigration, acculturation into western societies,
racism, and poverty. These changes in culture and identity struggles create a
psychological strain on Latino men that results in aggression rather than
depressive action due to the coping mechanisms learned through socialization.
Masculinity:
Masculinity is defined as the possession of the qualities traditionally
associated with men. This definition is ambiguous in that the “qualities
traditionally associated with men” can vary extraordinarily depending on culture.
Even specific cultures can be labeled as masculine or feminine. In order for a
4. 3
culture to be identified as masculine on the Hofstede scale they include:
assertiveness, materialism/material success, self-centeredness, power, strength,
and individual achievements. “Masculinity stands for a society in which social
gender roles are clearly distinct: Men are supposed to be assertive, tough, and
focused on material success; women are supposed to be more modest, tender,
and concerned with the quality of life.” (See Appendix 1) In many cultures,
manliness or masculinity is not a trait one is born with, but rather something that
must be achieved. Once achieved, masculinity cannot be taken for granted and
is a quality one can lose. The constant pressure of losing status can create both
mental stress that manifests physically. Depending on the avenue one takes to
procure masculinity, one may view the social status attributed as less precarious.
For instance, if in a man’s community creative works and intelligence are
examples of masculinity and helps obtain status, the question of his “manliness”
may provoke less anxiety because these traits are not typically associated with
masculinity. However, if the avenue for obtaining status includes playing football
5. 4
or being in the military, one may feel more anxiety and may trigger retaliation
behaviors because of the masculine nature of the way in which masculinity was
attained (B. Winegard).
Biological Basis for Masculinity
In Richard Udry’s article Biological Limits of Gender Construction, he
examines in-sex differences in females. Udry uses the biological model current
in primatology in order to show how these sex differences are expressed
because of hormonal variances from gestation to adulthood (after three
decades), which shape gendered behavior. He also highlights that environment
and socialization further shape behavior and variance in hormonal exposure can
alter the effect of socialization. “This basic hormone model shows that in this
sample, mothers’ prenatal hormones have an effect on the gendered behavior of
the daughters three decades later. The effect of prenatal testosterone is picked
6. 5
up by variance in prenatal SHBG (Sex Hormone Binding Globulin). So SHBG is
treated as an inverse measure of testosterone exposure because the more
SHBG in the mother, the less testosterone gets through to the daughter. SHBG
has no effects on behavior except through binding testosterone. The more
SHBG, the less testosterone effect and thus the more feminine the woman’s
behavior in adulthood. There is also a significant main effect of adult
testosterone. The interaction of prenatal testosterone and adult testosterone
shows that the more prenatal testosterone, the smaller the masculinizing effect of
adult testosterone on gendered behavior. The model explains about 16 percent
of the variance in gendered behavior” (Udry).
According to Benjamin Winegard “men whose manhood is threatened
react with a variety of compensatory behaviors and cognitions such as
aggression, support for hierarchy, low tolerance for homosexuality, and support
for war” (B. Winegard). He further mentions that because man evolved in
7. 6
dominance hierarchies they will display honest strength to dissuade fighting as
well as display traits that create coalitions. The traits he describes include
anything from physical prowess, aggression, and intelligence to empathy.
Masculinity in the United States
In the United States, historically, the popular perspective on masculinity
contains such traits as assertiveness, obsession with achievement and success,
individualism, status, aggression, toughness, winning, restricted emotionality and
affectionate behavior, concerns about power, control, and competition, and
homophobia (Torres).
In Joseph Plecks 1981 book The Myth of Masculinity, he describes and
demonstrates a method that was used for the previous fifty years called the
“Gender Role Identity Paradigm”. This paradigm suggests that people have a
8. 7
biological and psychological need to develop a gender role identity. The way an
individual embraces their traditional gender role determines how well the need is
“met”. The paradigm said that the inability to achieve a masculine gender-role
would result in “homosexuality, negative attitudes towards women, or hyper
masculinity” (Levant) (Pleck). Pleck includes in his book that this paradigm is
inadequate and instead introduces “Pleck’s Gender Role Strain Paradigm”. He
proposes that “gender roles are contradictory and inconsistent; that the
proportion of persons who violate gender roles is high; that violation of gender
roles leads to condemnation and negative psychological consequences; that
actual or imagined violation of gender roles leads people to over conform to
them; that violating gender roles has more severe consequences for males than
for females”. In his paradigm, Pleck explains that gender roles are prescribed
and imposed on the developing children by teachers, peers, and parents and that
the notions of “masculinity” and “femininity” are subject to change and socially
constructed (Levant).
9. 8
Based upon this literature, Levant proposed seven male role norms: avoiding
femininity, restrictive emotionality, seeking achievement and status, self-reliance,
aggression, homophobia, and non-relational attitudes towards sexuality (Levant).
In today’s society, adults attribute what their gendered roles should exemplify
based upon how they were socialized. “Raised to be like their fathers, they were
mandated to become the good provider for their families, and to be strong and
silent. They were discouraged from expressing vulnerable and tender emotions,
and required to put a sharp edge around their masculinity by avoiding anything
that hinted of the feminine” (Levant).
Machismo
Machismo is defined by Jose B. Torres as the complex interaction of social,
cultural, and behavioral components forming male gender-role identity in the
10. 9
sociopolitical context of the Latino society (Torres). The term Machismo has
developed a negative connotation. The word comes from the Spanish word
macho, which means strongly masculine or assertive man. The word Machismo
in Spanish has a larger meaning than has been attributed to it as used in English.
In English, Machismo is generally seen as male dominance, aggression,
patriarchy, authoritarianism, and oppressive behavior toward women and
children. However, in Spanish, the term Machismo can have a much more
positive meaning to include emphasis on self-respect and on responsibility for
protecting and providing for the family, as well as bravery, strength, integrity,
honor, reliability, and moral soundness. The word macho, developing two
separate meanings and connotations depending on the language used or
spoken, will be discussed later in the cultural section.
History of Machismo
11. 10
Latino men adhere to and proliferate the negative connotations associated
with machismo that make life difficult for female partners. When machismo is
exaggerated, alcoholism, infidelity, domestic violence, minimal involvement in
child rearing, and abandonment of partners and family are expressed as
dysfunction and destructive consequence (Torres). Boys are socialized from a
young age to adhere to the attitudes of their fathers. This socialization leads to
the mandation to become strong, silent, and the providers for their families.
These boys are discouraged from displaying emotions considered vulnerable.
These young men receive little to no training or socialization in regards to child
rearing, like their sisters. From a young age, these boys are also expected to
denounce the reliance on their mothers and accept their psychologically and
often physically absent fathers (Levant).
Latin Culture Influence and Machismo
12. 11
Puerto Rico
Male gender-socialization process and view of masculinity has historically
emphasized bravery, strength, male dominance, honor, virility, aggression, and
autonomy. There are multiple stereotypes attributed to machismo in Puerto
Rican culture because of the inconsistent, contradictory, superficial, and negative
mental health literature definitions. These stereotypes include physical
aggression, sexual promiscuity, insecurity, alcohol abuse, spousal violence, and
other oppressions of women, irresponsible behavior, immaturity, feelings of
inferiority, latent homosexuality, narcissistic personality, ambivalence toward
women, and sexual anxiety. As mentioned earlier, the word machismo takes on
separate meanings depending on the language used. In English, machismo
tends to depict a more negative connotation because it does not represent the
same array of traits that it does in Spanish. This difference in associations
highlights the importance of how we use language in a culture. It is a Spanish
word and when adopted into the English language, it lost over half of its meaning,
13. 12
including the entire positive aspect. By doing so, many English speakers now
have an existing stereotype seeded in their minds due to the misunderstanding
or misrepresentation of a word. Machismo is deeply rooted and tied with Puerto
Rican culture, so when trying to acculturate into the United States each male
individual carries that stereotype with them. The concept of respeto or respect
largely manages many personal relationships, and affects dictates behavior
towards them. This goverance effects the relationship with older people, parents,
and relatives “on the basis of age, socioeconomic positions, and authority” (
(Torres). The idea of respeto and dignidad (dignity) and the obtainment of both,
is a part of machismo that largely determines how Latino males function within
the family, the community, and the culture as a whole.
The Crisis of Masculinity
The socialization of Latino men to fit the machismo model is passed down
from father to son, and encouraged by mothers. There is an importance of
14. 13
providing for the family and friends, looking out for them, solving their problems,
being counted on to be there when needed, and fulfilling the requirements of this
attitude despite the growing critic against machismo. Through the evolving
culture and positive women’s liberation movements, some of these Latino men
feel there is no longer a need for the traits that once deemed them masculine
and are imperative for developing social status. Levant says, “society no longer
seems to value, or even recognize the traditional male way of demonstrating
care. . . men are being asked to take on roles and show care in ways that violate
the traditional male code and require skills they do not have, such as nurturing
children, revealing weakness, and expressing their most intimate feelings. The
net result of this for many men is a loss of self-esteem and an unnerving sense of
uncertainty about what it means to be a man” (Levant). Puerto Ricans make up
the second largest group of Latino’s in the United States, and they have specific
cultural traits and values that reflect their heritage. As mentioned above, the idea
of machismo is largely attached to Puerto Rican men, and with it carries the
15. 14
negative stereotype assigned from the English idea of the word. Compared to
other Latino groups in the United States, Puerto Rican unemployment is highest.
The shifting idea of masculinity coupled with the inability to obtain employment
(which ability to provide for one’s family is a large factor in determining
masculinity for a Puerto Rican male) causes severe psychological stress. This
stress causes many men to experience guilt, inadequacy, and emasculation from
the fear of not being able to live up to one’s perceived “male-role” (Torres)
Mental effects on men from Latin cultures
The behavioral reactions from many of the Puerto Rican men that
experience psychological strains such as: immigration, acculturation, racism, and
poverty tends to be aggressive due to their socialization in coping mechanisms.
“Perhaps manhood takes on a greater importance for those who do not have
access to socially valued roles. Being male is one sure way to acquire status
16. 15
when other roles are systematically denied by the workings of society” (Baca-
Zinn). Some of the aggressive tendencies seen include drinking, gambling,
fighting, and promiscuity. Torres suggests that these are manifestations of
attempts to maintain manhood (Torres). With the inability to find employment,
many Puerto Rican men’s masculinity and dignity is questioned. In attempts to
recover their dignidad and respeto a lot of men engage in this aggressive
behavior.
Conclusion:
Traditional cultural socialization coupled with biological factors towards
masculinity in different cultures presents a growing issue in many Latin societies;
predominantly Puerto Rican immigrants into the United States. Young boys are
taught to have machismo and hyper-masculinity in a time where the traits
associated with machismo are becoming less valuable and frowned upon. Not
only are these men trying to cope with the changing culture, a trait they were
17. 16
raised to have and exuberate denotes negative connotations within the English
speaking world in which many are trying to acculturate. This emotional struggle
has started to manifest physically in displays of aggression and other avenues of
perceptual “manliness”. It is imperative to facilitate the conversation on how to
enable men facing this difficulty to cope with this emotional turmoil.
Appendix 1
18. 17
WORKS CITED
B. Winegard, B. Winegard, D.C. Geary. "Eastwood's brawn and Einstein's brain: An
Evolutionary Account of Dominance, Prestige, and Precarious Manhood." Review
of General Psychology (2014).
Baca-Zinn, M. "Chicano men and masculinity." Journal of Ethnic Studies (1982): 20-44.
Levant, Ronald F. "Toward the Reconstruction of Masculinity." Journal of Family
Psychology (1992): 379-398.
Pleck, Joseph H. The Myth of Masculinity. The MIT Press, 1981.
Torres, Jose B. "Masculintiy and Gender Roles Among Puerto Rican Men: Machismo on
the U.S. Mainland." Clinical (1998): 16-26.
Udry, Richard J. "Biological Limits of Gender Construction." American Sociological
Review (2000): 443-457.