For my third blog I wanted to select Lesson 9: Central America and Mexico because this is probably one of the topics in the class that is closest to me. Specifically masculinity in this countries. As a Latin American woman, 9 times out of 10 you are surrounded by male only work environments. When people ask me “whats it like in Honduras” I tend to tell them that if they are thinking third generation here in the United States, Honduras is five generations behind. Latin American countries are mostly driven by the acceptance of the Catholic church. To put it in perspective, in Honduras, Plan B and surrogacy are illegal because people in positions of power say that it is unholy and it goes against what the church wants. The struggle of masculinity in Latin America is very real, being an individual woman is something that you have to prove to a lot of people. Conversely, the toxic masculinity is a problem too. A man is expected to know everything, be this macho man, should dress to impress, should be taking over positions at their family business, and should fully support his family in any and all way. As an example of how masculinity is still an issue I have a story about my mother. My mother owns a citrus farm, our farm has been making good progress and she went to the bank to request a loan for new equipment (for her farm) and the branch manager told her that she should come back with her husband or father to make sure that this was a smart financial decision and denied her the loan because her husband or father was not present. Things here in the United States, are different, but not by that much. The difference that I find here is that women are held to this standard of employment that men do and if a woman decides to start a family, her ability and loyalty to the company is tainted. Women are forced to go into the workforce at full speed because the choice is almost always unavailable. My work experience here has been different, I still experience that divide in the workforce but it is more subtle. For example, at my old job, I would get comments from corporate such as “for a woman, you do an amazing job” or “I hope you don’t plan on settling down soon because we need your full attention on the facility.”
In some Latin American countries, it is frowned upon for a woman to decide to choose her work over her family. The mentality of “man at work and woman at home,” is still very instilled into young children today. As girls, we were sent to etiquette school, told how we should act, what we should cook, what we should and shouldn’t say, and how we should dress. I was told many times that a “woman should be smart and she should know what she is talking about, but it should never supersede the intelligence of her husband.” We (as a society tend to) marry young, I am 25 years old and out of the 150 kids I graduated high school with, 90 of them are married and some with children. That in the United States will get a wide-eyed response because people now are getting married much later in life. This mentality also translates over to employment, women are expected to remain quiet and observe than to actively participate. Women in Latin America are make a big break past the masculinity blanket that coats the region. In Honduras, there are currently 33 women that are members of Parliament, which is record breaking for the country. Latin America has held a third of the worlds female presidents in years prior, and has 28% of women in congressional seats versus the world percentage of 23%. Thankfully, while Latin America has plenty of hurdles that we will have to jump, the progress is being made like in no other region. Things are changing in our society, women are now pushed to meet new goals and HAVE goals other than the goal of being a homemaker (which is also an awesome goal!).
Brittany Samara Warner says
Hi Adriana,
Great post you made some interesting points on the cultural dynamic between men and women, it is hard to believe that some countries still have the American 1950’s mentality on the women’s role within society. You also mention that, Religion plays a major role in the core values of Central America, I believe that this can cause many individuals in central America to be close minded to the woman’s role within their society.
In addition, these beliefs also still impact American society as well, many people in American society still believe that the role of the woman is to stay at home and manage the household and raise the children while men go outside of the home to make money. I believe that the main reason why this dynamic has changed significantly within our society in recent years is due to the economy and the family needs of having two incomes within the household in order to survive. This as a result has allowed society to be more flexible in allowing more women to work outside of the home. Overall cultural beliefs set the foundation of many countries and it is important to understand that economic factors can alter the belief system in many societies in order to obtain financial security.
jvk5901 says
Hi Adriana! That was a very insightful post that you wrote! It is cool that you can speak of what it is like in Honduras. Masculinity is a problem that absolutely needs to change. Just because someone is a female doesn’t mean that they can’t be a leader within an organization or do the same job a male does. Where I work, this is very prevalent unfortunately. Many of the men here feel that a woman should not be doing this line of work because of heavy lifting and things that are viewed as a mans job. It is so sad that in this day and age that the separation still exists between men and women. Something has to change, by us getting educated on this issue, we can be the change that is truly needed and make a far reaching impact on the world.
Kristen Leigh Orozco says
Adriana,
I found your post about the culture of masculinity in Honduras and your experience in that culture very interesting. As a woman born and raised in the United States, I have not experienced the type of discrimination that you and your mother have endured in Honduras. Interestingly, I have plenty of experience with the machismo attitude and culture within my own Mexican American family. While times have changed and the United States has come a long way, my family hasn’t always followed suite. It was still expected when I was growing up that I learn how to cook, clean, and raise children. While my parents did believe in my getting an education it was still expected that I would take care of a husband. As I got older and decided to assert my own standards for my family, my parents eventually came around. I think it was interesting to see how this type of masculinity plays out in other Latin cultures. Great post!
Joseph Kaiser says
Wow Adriana! It is so hard to read your blog while thinking about the fact that 9 times out of 10 you are surrounded by all male work environments! I could only imagine how difficult it would be to be able to succeed in Honduras! Unfortunately, here in the United States, many women actually have to work to help support their families just to make ends meet. The many differences in culture that exist between Mexico and Central America in comparison to the United States is amazing in regards to how women should be homebodies taking care of the family while men are the ones working. I am glad to see things beginning to change in Honduras for equalization! Was it hard to adjust to life in America in regards to employment? Is the “toxic masculinity” still a huge problem or is the swing in women in parliament changing this?
heg5110 says
Hi Adriana,
I really enjoyed reading your posting, it was very insightful! In lessons 8-10 I found Central America and Mexico the most interesting because of the differences and similarities the country has compared to the United States. When you stated that “being an individual woman is something you have to prove to a lot of people” in Honduras, I feel that it is similar here in the United States also. Male figures do dominant CEO positions and positions of authority here in the United States. Women have been trying to prove for years that they can join the workforce just as the men have, and compete for the same job positions and wages as the male figure.
I am curious to know how long you had to attend etiquette school in Honduras and what age you started the schooling? Do they still continue to push etiquette school on the girls today?