Gender and Machismo Mitchell * Gibson * Daviso Odyssey Course Andover High School Plus “Lukin’s Bed” Discussion Questions

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Stereotypical Gender Norms

Macho

Machismo 0 Distinct masculine gender role for men. Hyper- masculine ideal. (Marianismo is the female equivalent). Greatest offense is to not “act like a man.” 0 Power Relationships 0 With other men 0 With women

Origin: Machismo “In Nahuatl culture, the term macho means... ‘one who is worthy of imitation.’ The Nahuatl dictionary also states that the word macho means ‘enlightened one’, or ‘one who had been made to learn’. “Therefore, the pre-Columbian use of the word macho had to do with wisdom and leadership... Gender was not involved. When the Spanish came, their use of the word macho was strictly masculine... After the Spanish invasion a new word, idea, and concept was born: that a macho was a masculine leader who was enlightened and worthy of imitation. It was always a positive term.” --”Machismo”

Connotations of Machismo NegativePositive 0 Drinking 0 Gambling, Fighting 0 Asserting one’s opinion 0 Risk-taking 0 “Romantic” conquests/Display s of virility 0 Altruism/Protectiven ess 0 Respect 0 Nurturance 0 Hard-Work

State of Women in Mexico 0 Varies across the country. Most regions are male dominated/high patriarchal. The indigenous Zapotec community of Juchitan in Oaxaca is a matriarchy (Rhoda). 0 Family and Children: % contraception rate children per woman th in the world for maternal mortality rd in the world for infant mortality

State of Women in Mexico 0 Workforce: 40-46% of workforce (“Mexico Making Progress…”; Rhoda). 0 Education: 57.7% of women over 25 have at least a secondary education (“Mexico Making Progress…”) 0 Politics: 0 More women entering politics on a national rather than local level % national representation in Congress (better than the US!) (“Mexico Making Progress…”)

State of Women in Mexico 0 Safety: 0 Aprx women disappeared in Mexico in according to the National Observatory Against Femicide 0 Forced prostitution, rape 0 Little punishment for crimes against women (Rama).

“Lukin’s Bed” 0 How are gender roles portrayed in the story? 0 How does the story conflict with (or compliment) the concept of machismo? 0 How does the women’s departure change the men? Change gender roles? 0 The story is described as “post-feminist.” If we accept a broad definition of feminism to mean “the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men”, what does it mean to be “post-feminism” or “post-feminist”? 0 What do you make of the men’s behavior when the women return? 0 Anything else you’d like to discuss or comment on?

Sources 0 In and Out. Dir. Frank Oz. Perf. Kevin Kline, Joan Cusack, Tom Sellack. Paramount Pictures, YouTube. YouTube, 6 Nov Web. 7 Sept "Macho." Def. British Definition. Dictionary.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 0 "Machismo." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 09 Mar Web. 07 Sept "Military." Mexico Machismo. Global Security, n.d. Web. 07 Sept Rama, Anahi, and Lizbeth Diaz. "Violence against Women 'pandemic' in Mexico." Reuters. Thomson Reuters, 07 Mar Web. 07 Sept Rhoda, Richard, and Tony Burton. "Female Quality of Life in Mexico." Mexico Living. N.p., 4 Feb Web. 07 Sept