Definition

Academic machismo is the term used to describe how males dominate academia and determine agendas. Men of diverse racial and ethnic origins and Latino adults have been connected to reckless conduct and interpersonal issues by the hypermasculine features of machismo, characterized by stoicism, violence, chauvinism, and frequent drinking.

Explanation

According to studies on the collegiate experience of men, Latinos in college might sometimes struggle academically due to adhering to conventional gender standards. For example, one qualitative study of males, mostly of Mexican American descent, discovered that internalizing a hyper-masculine identity might discourage them from pursuing university ambitions by making educational objectives appear incompatible with a blue-collar job identity.

However, the authors also noted that participants’ shared values of providing for their families and serving as role models further incentivized them to finish their degrees. There is proof to validate that masculine quality may also promote positive functioning in men of color, including Latino and African American males.

Machismo is a multifaceted, gendered social construct. Characteristics like critical thinking, evaluating, reading, and studying are all seen as feminine in the academic machismo culture. On the other hand, a male is meant to operate physically in such a culture.

Machismo in Latin America

The interaction between women and men in most Latin American nations seems intrinsically characterized by the macho culture.

In these nations, women face physical and psychological abuse, discrimination, a lack of equal opportunities, and little appreciation for their contributions, skills, and potential. For example, a 12-year-old contestant on the Brazilian reality program “Master Chef” 2015 began getting hostile comments from male viewers. 

In addition, discrimination is pervasive in academic settings, particularly in developing nations.

Marianismo

Marianismo is a cultural value held by Latinos that stresses the woman’s function as a tolerant, moral, and submissive caregiver who supports the family.

Feminists oppose the idea of marianismo, contending that it just normalizes and validates the socioeconomic circumstances of women in Hispanic America. In addition, they point out that marianismo is often portrayed as everything that machismo is not, which reduces femininity to “the sphere of submission, chastity, and self-sacrifice.” Finally, they contend that marianismo implies that a woman’s virtues and her husband’s machismo are called into question if she works outside the house. 

Feminists also state that the machismo culture is the primary reason for the academic discrimination against the women’s community.