Macho

Macho

Machismo ( /mɑːˈtʃiːzmoʊ/; /məˈtʃɪzmoʊ/, ), or machoism

The term Machismo first appeared in Latin American literature in the mid-twentieth century. The term was used by Latina feminists and scholars to criticize the patriarchal structure of gendered relations in Latino communities. Their goal was to describe a particular Latin American brand of patriarchy

The English word "machismo" derives from the identical Spanish and Portuguese word. Spanish and Portuguese machismo refers to the assumption that masculinity is superior to femininity, similarilty to the concept dubbed by R. W Connell (1995) of Hegemonic masculinity, Presently in the sense that supposed feminine traits among males (or traits historically viewed as non-feminine among females, see marianismo) are to be deemed undesirable, socially reprovable or deviations. Gender roles make an important part of human identity as we conduct our identities through our historical and current social actions . Machismo's attitudes and behaviours may be frowned upon or encouraged at various degrees in societies or subcultures –, albeit it is associated with more misogynistic undertones, primarily in present views on the past.

Women can be said to be machistas, mainly as a pejorative word from women perceived by themselves as more liberated, and pro-feminist men, but in the culture of machismo, as well as western culture’s hypermasculinity, the idealized womankind is that submissive, conservative, "pure" and family-centered, absent of many, if not all, the characters of the particular macho gender role.

Today, the dominant discourse surrounds the negative aspects of machismo, which are similar to Western culture concept of hypermasculinity are seen not only as a threat females in Latin America and Iberian societies: accordingly it is among the supposed threats to LGBT people with the greater visibility, seen as connected to homophobia, so awareness of both as a correlated social problem is a central part of local social movements' discourses.