Machismo
Machismo is a set of beliefs and behaviors that emphasizes male dominance, toughness, and authority, often linked to the subordination of women.
Masculinity: Socially shaped roles, behaviors, and attributes associated with being a man or boy. Machismo is one influential model of masculinity, not a synonym for all masculinities.
Gender socialization: The process through which people learn social expectations associated with gender. Families, peers, and institutions can teach machismo's norms from childhood.
Spanish language: A Romance language originating in the Iberian Peninsula and now spoken across the world. The word machismo derives from Spanish and carries meanings shaped by its linguistic history.
Marianismo: An ideal of feminine virtue emphasizing purity, self-sacrifice, and maternal devotion, especially in Latin American contexts. It is often presented as machismo's feminine counterpart, though the pairing can oversimplify lived experience.
Gender role: A set of social expectations about behavior associated with a gender. Machismo prescribes gendered expectations for men's authority and women's deference.
Masculine honor: A social code tying men's status to respect, toughness, and control over family reputation. Honor codes can make dominance and retaliation seem necessary to preserve masculine standing.
Machismo in Latin America: A historically varied set of masculine ideals and practices discussed across Latin American societies. This regional context is central to the term's popular history but differs across countries and communities.
Caballerismo: A model of masculinity emphasizing responsibility, respect, and care for others. It offers a prosocial alternative to machismo's emphasis on dominance and control.
Hegemonic masculinity: A culturally dominant ideal of masculinity that legitimizes men's authority and hierarchies among men. This framework explains how machismo can reinforce male dominance as a social ideal.
Gender policing: The enforcement of gender norms through criticism, exclusion, or punishment. Machismo is maintained when communities shame men who depart from its expectations.