While gender equality has made significant progress in the United States of America, the Hispanic community is struggling to escape the traditional beliefs of machismo. Hispanic women have long struggled with the notion that hyper-masculinity is used to justify their treatment from men. The stigmas of men have played a part in the continuous effort to act in an authoritarian matter. Younger generations are currently spoon fed the same rhetoric that has existed since the early 1900’s. It is a conception that has made it difficult for Hispanic women to escape violence, traditional roles, and power dynamics.
Ethnocentrism has played a major factor in how some Hispanic males don’t respect the viewpoints of other cultures. Machismo makes males believe they are responsible for every decision in a relationship and household. It also puts emphasis on the importance of male dominance by using power over women in their lives. There is a subjective feeling to ignore the modern style of parenting in families that lead by sharing power and having open communication between two partners. Power distance in the environment can put emphasis on a clouded belief system. In some countries, a male president represents order and confidence to lead an entire nation. There is a consensus that males should have control over every high profile position. This has created a giant wealth gap in resources that each gender uses for their personal lives. According to the Mexican Association of Women Entrepreneurs, in 2018, women used 70% of their salary on household and community. Meanwhile, men used 30 and 40% of their resources to the same purposes (no author, 2013). According to Latin American leadership profile, Hispanic cultures score low on autonomous leadership (Northouse, 2016). The lack of freedom and innovative ideas in a working environment mimics the lifestyles that occur in countries that are ruled by dictatorship.
While tradition is a valuable part of a culture, it should not be used as an excuse to treat people unfairly. There is no gospel truth behind them, and it is built from an era that does not equal the present. Culture is always changing with time, and the majority of the world will pursue concepts that will benefit mankind. In order for change to occur, there needs to be a shift from personal gain and male peer approval. Vulnerability should not be seen as a weakness, but as an opportunity to share honest opinions in a working environment. Shared leadership can help by promoting ideas from individuals who would not normally get an opportunity. This can influence an entire team to be stronger and feel safe to share ideas without being judged. The strive for objective approaches can open the mind up of individuals who have racial and gender biases.
There have been strides that show mass improvements for women in Latin American countries. In 2014, Latin America represented a third of the worlds female presidents. The male to female ratio in politics is balancing with more legislative seats filled with women. As more time progresses, the narcissism from machismo will lose influence over people. It is a practice that will rely solely on the inner thoughts of stubborn minds.
References
No author. (2013). Estadisticas sobre mueres y empersarias en mexico. Centro de Investigación de la Mujer en la Alta Dirección. Retrieved from
Northouse, P.G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice. 7th Edition. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
Hello,
I really enjoyed your blog and it made me think, what do we need to help facilitate this process? After looking through numerous articles I came upon one titled -The role of mentoring in the success of women leaders of color in higher education. While numerous scholars have investigated the role of mentoring in the success of women of color in faculty positions, few have examined how mentoring affects the development of women leaders of color in higher education(Tran,2014) Sonia Sotomayor comes to mind, she is a perfect example of what Spanish women can accomplish. She became a U.S. District Court Judge in 1992 and was elevated to the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals in 1998. In 2009, she was confirmed as the first Latina Supreme Court justice in U.S. history. Sonia Sotomayor came from a modest background and worked diligently at her education. After she became A US District Court Judge she participated in Civil Liberties, Same-sex laws and the Affordable Care Act. She is a great example of a woman who made it to the top despite all the odds and her story should be told among the Hispanic Culture. I think that is where the change should begin for Hispanic women they should be shown successful women and learn about their stories and what they went through. Many Hispanic women had to fight tooth and nail to gain the professional position that they wanted and they had obstacles like you spoke about in your article. They endured and broke free from the harmful stereotypes and machismo that are still present in the world we live in today. Strength, determination and the will to fight for women of the Hispanic Culture were part of their lives and should be at the forefront of womens movements today.
Resources:
Tran, N. A. (2014). The role of mentoring in the success of women leaders of color in higher education. Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning, 22(4), 302-315. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/10.1080/13611267.2014.945740
https://www.biography.com/law-figure/sonia-sotomayor
Hello,
I enjoyed reading your blog post, as it made a variety of good points. I particularly liked how you spoke about both gender and culture with regards to leadership and how they intersect. Although the textbook focused on the topics separately, they often influence one another. When culture is passed on to generations, it can be difficult to break free of harmful stereotypes and practices, such as machismo. The practice of machismo is not only harmful for women, but men as well. Men also suffer from toxic masculinity for reasons such as not being able to express emotions like sadness. I found it very interesting that men do not spend as much of their salary on the household, as it goes against the stereotypical concept of a male breadwinner. With that being said, men may actually spend more money on the household; however, due to receiving better salaries than women in Latin American countries, they may be able to spend a smaller percentage of their salary. Lastly, I am glad to see that women are gaining representation in Latin American politics, especially through significant roles such as being the President. Representation is so important and the more that women and men see that it is possible to break free of traditional expectations, the more likely that there will be a shift in cultural teachings.