Machismo, Men and Fathers in Hispanic Culture

Machismo, Men and Fathers in Hispanic Culture

I grew up without a father. I have expressed some thoughts about this in several of my posts.

Looking at my own experience, my concept of a father was at best neutral. In other words, I had no idea what a father was until I was a teen at church where I met and was mentored by several men.

Thinking through the concept that Hispanics have of fathers based on what I have experienced, what others have shared with me and what I have learned I can conclude confidently that it is linked to the idea of “machismo[1]” which continues to be a societal problem to this day.[2] For English speakers this word doesn’t mean anything. But for Spanish speakers we know the word comes from the noun “macho” which means male. In fact, old Spanish Bible versions use the word “macho y hembra” when it talks about God creating male and female. The idea of a “macho” is that he is the male even as it is in the animal world. In the animal world, the male is the one that reproduces. When we talk about machismo, it is the idea that a male is man one who reproduces.[3] This idea is beyond this as I will later explain, but it is not too far-fetched to think that it is most of what has been passed on in our culture. The figure of a “man” and “father” in our Hispanic culture goes back to this idea.

Where did this originate?

Some argue that this came about with the Spanish conquest of Latin America.[4] Many Spanish started to take indigenous women to reproduce themselves and of course, they left them. This created a culture of single women raising “mestizos” (half Spanish, half indigenous). I would argue that it goes back even farther. The indigenous people in Latin American, such as the Aztecs and the Mayas did not have exemplary male models either. They were mostly men of war and women were the care takers of the children and the home. But we can go back all the way to the origins of men and women. After both Adam and Even (macho y hembra) sinned against God, it affected their relationship and their roles [5]. Everything went haywire after this.

Whatever may be the origins of machismo, it cannot be denied that its effect has been profound in our Hispanic families. Machismo has been propagated and passed on through generations and with it, many of the ills that come with it affecting the family. What are some of the effects on men and the family in general? Here are a few broad effects:

Promiscuity

Men have been taught that as males, they are free to engage sexually from an early age without any responsibility. This reduces men to their most basic biological function. I remember that as I was growing up, my uncle would tell my mom and it was almost time for me to go see the ladies. This meant that it was almost time to go see a prostitute and have sex, a proof that I was a man. If I didn’t do that, he said, I would end up being gay. Promiscuity leads to a lifestyle as if follows below.

Womanizers

Even after a man married a woman (though marriage not required), he would continue to have sexual affairs and encounters with as many women as he wanted tricking and deceiving them with deceptive words. They would often lie by saying they weren’t married. In my case and my wife’s family, the men ended up having multiple families. My father abandoned us (my mom had had two previous men and had five children at this time) and eventually married but I have no idea how many children he left from other women. Similarly, in my wife’s family, her father proudly told her while in Mexico, that she had siblings in the United States from an adulterous relationship. These men, who in their own lives have followed what was passed on to them, show no remorse or sense of obligation to any of these women and children. After all, they were “machos” (males) following their biology.

Broken Families

Not only are these men responsible for the single mom epidemic and affecting in our Hispanic culture but also for the destruction of their children’s well-being. Machismo has left generations of single mothers raising their fatherless children on their own.[6] The moms have become the sole provider, protector and responsible for raising their children.  Many of them struggle to do so. Their children grow up without a healthy view of a father.[7] Some remarried but many decide it’s not worth it after all they have gone through.  There is a saying in Spanish that says, “padre no es el que engendra sino el que cría” (he that raises a child is more father that the one who conceives one) which means that a father is more than the one who conceives a child but one that provides and cares for them. There is not a week that goes by that I see the effects of machismo in the family, especially in single mothers.

Violence

The violence perpetrated by men toward women is a result of machismo.  As in their “antepasados” (ancestors), men used their strength to prove their manliness the wrong way. They have used their physical strength to subjugate women[8]. Many women have been trapped in this abuse cycle. A man sees no wrong in this because he is the “macho”, the one with power and deserves respect. He is the man of the house and as such the one who gives orders, and everyone should respect him regardless of what he is or does. The opposition of women (and children) has led to their physical, verbal, emotional, sexual[9] abuse and even death.[10]

Alcoholics[11]

These men were not only promiscuous, violent, irresponsible and adulterers, but many became alcoholics. Many of our early movies and music in our Hispanic culture glamorized getting drunk. Songs by popular men, like Pedro Infante glamorized getting drunk when a love affair[12] didn’t turn out. This was the way to cope for not getting your way. My father and other men in our family were alcoholics. Alcoholism has been a destructive epidemic in our Hispanic culture affecting families and society in general. Domestic violence, sexual assaults, driving under the influence leading to deaths, not being able to work, and deaths due to the effects of alcohol abuse in the body are some of the results.  Unfortunately, their children have followed the same path who start drinking as early as 14-15 years of age.[13] According to statistics this is a serious problem young people between ages 18-25 in the US.[14]

Devalue and Hate for Men (Feminism)

Machismo has led to the devalue and even hate toward men. Much of this has been earned. We can see this in our culture that elevates women to a divine rank[15] (Mary is the intermediary between God and Men). Not only this, but it has led to the rise of feminism. The basic tenet of feminism is that women and men are equal. Therefore, women should be treated equal and not be subjugated by men. Power is shared with men. This has caused women to avoid marriage. Those that do marry, enter it on with stipulations that it will be a 50-50 contract.

Much more could be said on what machismo has done in our Hispanic culture, but these are my own thoughts and ideas on what I have learned from my life and experience as a pastor. Though this post is mostly on the negative effects of machismo among Hispanics, my goal in writing this is to not only bring this to the front but also to see the alternative that we as Christians have been offered through our relationship with Christ. This will be my topic in a follow up post.

[1] https://journalonworldaffairs.org/2021/12/13/machismo-culture-and-gender-based-violence-in-latin-america-are-connected-phenomena%ef%bf%bc/

[2] A current survey of Mexican shows that 62% consider Mexico a “machista” country. https://www.parametria.com.mx/estudios/mexico-un-pais-machista/

[3] “The essential attribute of the Macho is strength, which always manifests itself as the ability to wound, crack, annihilate, humiliate.  Nothing could be more natural, therefore, than the male’s indifference to the offspring he engenders.” “Sexualidad en Mesoamérica: machismo y marianismo” by Alfonso Moisés https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/47265228.pdf.

[4] Ibid.

[5] I am aware that many think that roles are social construct, and that the origin of machismo is due to the patriarchal roles. My position is derived from my theological understanding of the Bible in relation to human nature, family, society and human ethics.

[6] According to some data, 11% of families are single parent in Latin America and the Caribbean, https://vox.lacea.org/?q=blog/madres_solteras_lac. This article points that in the last two decades, single parent homes have increased by 60% in Mexico, a total of four million. Recent statistics show that Colombia is the country with the most single parents. Only 20% of people get married, which might be a factor.  See https://www.unisabana.edu.co/menu-superior-1/saladeprensa/noticias/detalle-de-noticias/noticia/colombia-el-pais-con-mas-madres-solteras-del-mundo-y-donde-la-gente-menos-se-casa-dice-estudio. In the United States, there were 3.39 million Hispanic single mothers in 2022, an increase from 1.19% in 1990.

See: https://www.statista.com/statistics/205192/number-of-hispanic-families-with-a-female-householder-in-the-us/#:~:text=In%202022%2C%20about%203.39%20million%20Hispanic%20families%20with,families%20with%20a%20single%20mother%20in%20the%20U.S. In the US there is a total of 10.89 million single parent homes. See https://singlemotherguide.com/single-mother-statistics/

[7] For the effects that fathers have on children see https://www.fatherhood.gov/sites/default/files/resource_files/e000002312_0.pdf.

[8] This type of violence is perpetrated by men to women all over the world, especially those bound by a religion that puts women in a subhuman category.

[9] In the Mexican culture the word “chingar” according to Octavio Paz has the idea of penetration by force. See https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/47265228.pdf.

[10] Femicide (“feminicidios”) is prevalent in Latin America. Fourteen of the twenty-five countries where it happens, are found in Latin America. See: https://www.telesurtv.net/news/La-crudeza-del-machismo-en-America-Latina-20160705-0026.htmlorl.   Worldwide there were 81,100 killed in 2021 according to the UNODC report. See Femicide_brief_Nov2022.pdf (unodc.org). In the US, 34.4 percent of women experienced some sort of abuse by a man. See Latina Immigrants Vulnerable to Domestic Violence, ‘Trump Effect,’ Advocates Say (usnews.com)

[11] About 7.1% of Hispanics in the US have problems with alcohol consumption. See Substance Abuse Statistics for Hispanic Americans (americanaddictioncenters.org). In Latin América, the number is also increasing. See: https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-45626675.

[12] Pedro infante was involved in several marriage affairs and had children from several women while remaining married. His Son Pedro Infante Jr. also lived a turbulent life which involved alcoholism and drug use. Pedro Infante – Wikipedia

[13] Get the Facts About Underage Drinking | National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) (nih.gov)

[14] Alcohol and Young Adults Ages 18 to 25 | National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) (nih.gov)

[15] This is different that the passive form called “Maryanism” (Marianismo) where women are almost divine in all aspects therefore endure everything that the man does.