Mexico has been the center of one of the most polarizing political topics in its northern neighbor the United States of America, illegal immigration. Right wingers believe this is a major problem that is hurting the USA. They see undocumneted immigrants as people who’ve come to steal jobs, commit crimes, and take advantage of this country and think the solution is to build a wall between us. Left wingers look at the desperate situations people are in that make them decide to come to this country illegally. They also point how this nation was built by immigrants and overall take a compassionate approach. In this week’s lesson we looked at how Mexico compared to the rest of the world on Hofstede’s 6 Cultural Dimensions scale, which analyzes 6 core issues that a society needs to get in order to be a well organized nation (Geert, Gert Jan n.d.). The issues are power distance To really see how Mexicans fit in with the fabric of the U.S. I will compare and contrast them to the United States.
I will start with Mexico. The first dimension I will go over is power distance “the extent to which the less powerful members of organizations and institutions (like the family) accept and expect that power is distributed unequally” (Geert, Gert Jan, n.d.). The average score of a country in this dimension is 59.31. Mexico has an above average score of 80 so Mexicans do not tend to be the most egalitarian people in terms of wealth and influence (Olead 410). The second dimension is uncertainty avoidance “society’s tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity” (Geert, Gert Jan n.d.). The average score is 67.64. Mexico is at 82. Although that is within the standard deviation of 22.99 it still shows a high credence to rules and a belief that there is one “right way” of doing things (Olead 410). The third dimension is individualism “the extent to which people feel independent, as opposed to being interdependent as members of larger wholes”(Geert, Gert Jan n.d.). The world average score is 45.17, Mexico’s is 30 while it is a little below average, it is aligned with most of the world which prefers to work in groups for the benefit of everyone and not just focus on themselves (Olead 410, n.d.). The fourth dimension is masculinity “the extent to which the use of force in endorsed socially” (Geert, Gert Jan n.d.).The average score here is 49.53. Mexico’s score is 69 which is very above average. This means that compared to the rest of the world they strongly adhere to traditional gender roles, such as, men mostly being in leadership positions (Olead 410, n.d.). The fifth dimension is long-term orientation, which is how countries handle change (Geert, Gert Jan n.d.). The average score is 45.48. Mexico has a score of 24. With a standard deviation of 24.23 this nation is barely in the average range. It means that Mexicans aren’t the most forward thinking people. That’s not to say they don’t have long term goals but will more likely focus on a series of short term ones first rather than make a long term plan (Olead 410, n.d.). The final dimension is indulgence, “the good things in life” (Geert, Gert Jan n.d.). The average score is 45.42. Mexico scores way above with 97. Celebrations, such as, fiestas and quinceaneras are a major part of their culture.
Now we will look at the United States. Our power distance score is 40 (Hofstede Insights, n.d.). With a standard deviation of 21.25 we are barely average l, which makes sense because as a capitalistic society people with money have often been put of a pedestal but now the wealth disparity is being challenged. Our uncertainty avoidance score is 46 (Hofstede Insights, n.d.). Once again, we are barely average so while we are not a country afraid to challenge the rules and who is in charge there is still a strong perception of the “right way”. Leftists do it by opposing capitalism and historically problematic aspects of our country. Right wingers do it challenging the idea of big government, however they still strongly believe in our capitalist system and don’t think it should be changed. Also, they tend to have a narrow minded idea of what it means to be American. Our individualism score is 91 (Hofstede Insights, n.d.). Not surprising that we scored way above average here. As the self proclaimed “Land of the Free” we take our individualism seriously. We are 62 on the masculinity scale (Hofstede Insights, n.d.). This is in the average range. We are a patriarchal society but things are improving. We scored 26 for long-term orientation (Hofstede Insights, n.d.). Like Mexico we are more prone to monumentalism (Hofstede Insights, n.d.). Finally the USA has an indulgence score of 68. The average is 45.42 with a standard deviation of 22.29 so we have an okay balance of indulgence and restraint
Xenophobia is caused by the fear that people from another country will ruin or change everything but Hofstede’s is one but a strong example of why undocumented immigrants aren’t the leeches on society that some people try to make them our to be. The USA and Mexico are almost identical in their masculinity and long-term orientation scores showing that our cultures have similar organizational structures. Although our scores in power distance, individualism and uncertainty avoidance are very difference it does show that Mexican people are more likely to follow the rules of our nation and aim for harmony, not invade it the way some people think. Adhering to capitalism which actually fit right along with the values of conservatives who are critical of them. Hofstede’s dimensions Doesn’t explain everything but certainly show the different layers and intersections of society that people overlook.
Reference
- Country Comparison (n.d.) Hofstede Insights retrieved from https://www.hofstede-insights.com/country-comparison/mexico,the-usa/
- Hofstede,Geert; Hofstede, Gert Jan (n.d.) https://geerthofstede.com/research-and-vsm/vsm-2013/
- Olead 410 (n.d.) Pennsylvania State University retrieved from www.canvas.psu.edu
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