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Gender roles in latino culture
Gender roles in hispanic culture for women
Gender roles in hispanic culture for women
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Gender roles and Racial Identity in “Pocho”
The Mexican-American community is a community in which gender roles and social norms are taken very seriously. In this community, your gender is a big part of your identity and it helps determine your role in society. Although gender roles have changed significantly over time they are still a crucial part of everyday life. The novel “Pocho” by Jose Antonio Villarreal explore the significance of gender roles within the Mexican-American community and examines the relationship between gender roles and racial identity. Through its portrayal of the relationship between gender roles and racial identity the novel suggest that in the Mexican-American community in order to be a part of the community you have
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to adhere to the established gender roles and follow the conventional social norms. It also suggests that to obtain a self-affirming identity and escape these biased gender roles you have to leave the Mexican-American community and seize your identity as a Mexican- American. Gender roles in the Mexican- American community are very stereotypical.
In the Mexican- American community it is established that the man is the provider and the person in charge while the women is the subordinate caregiver. These masochist gender roles are seen at play in Villareal’s “Pocho”. In the novel, the society the characters live in follow these traditional gender roles very intently. Through this, the novel is stating that you must be adhere to the established gender roles to be a part of the community. We can see this through many instances in the text. For example, in the text Richard exerts his dominance over Zelda and his sisters to prove his masculinity. The novel says, “He slapped her twice, and she ran into the house screaming.” (Villarreal, p.147) This illustrates how in the Mexican- American community to be considered a man you must exert your dominance over women. In the same way, to become a woman you have to succumb to male dominance. For example, in the novel Zelda becomes a woman when she succumbs to Richard’s will. The text says, “It was the end of an era for her; her dominance was over, and her life would be a different one from now on.” (Villarreal, …show more content…
p.141) Although gender roles have changed significantly they are still a big part of the Mexican-American community and influence the identity of the people that are a part of this community.
For the most part in this community it is difficult to escape the gender roles that mainly favor men and male dominance. As a result of this a lot of people decide to leave and seek a more tolerant and equal society. According to the novel in order to escape these oppressing gender roles you have to have to leave the communtiy and seize being considered a part of that community. For instance, when Richard experiences his mother challenging these roles he seizes to be Mexican. The text says, “And he knew that he could never again be wholly Mexican, and furthermore he could never use the right he had as a male to tell his mother that she was wrong.” (Villarreal p. 95) Likewise, Richard leaves his family and his home in order to escape these gender roles. He does by this going to the
army. In the final analysis, gender roles are a substantial and influential part of the Mexican- American community. Male dominance and patriarchy play an important role in the lives and identities of the people who are a part of this community. Jose Antonio Villarreal’s novel “Pocho” explores the relationship between gender roles and racial identity in the Mexican-American community. With its portrayal of how gender roles influence the society the novel suggests that to be considered a part of the Mexican-American community you need to follow the given gender roles. Moreover, the novel is also implying that to get away from these gender roles and obtain a self- affirming identity you need to leave the community and let go of your Mexican- American identity. All in all, “Pocho” is an excellent novel that exposed many of the injustice wilthin the Mexican- American community including the bias behind gender roles.
In Sueños Americanos: Barrio Youth Negotiating Social and Cultural Identities, Julio Cammarota studies Latina/o youth who live in El Pueblo, and talks about how Proposition 187, the anti-immigrant law, is affecting Latina/o youth in California (Cammarota, 2008, p. 3). In this book review, I will write about the two main points the author is trying to get across. The two main points I will be writing about are how Proposition 187 is affecting the Latina/o community, and about how Latina/o youth are copping in the El Pueblo barrio. Afterward I write about the two main points the author is trying to get across, I will write a brief description of the author and write about the author’s strengths and weaknesses.
The 1959 novel, Pocho, by José Antonio Villarreal is an insightful cultural exposition told primarily from the vantage point of Richard Rubio, the coming-of-age son of immigrant Mexican parents who eventually settle in Santa Clara, California, after many seasons of migrant farm work. Although fiction, the story likely mirrors some of the experiences of the author who was born to migrant laborers in Los Angeles in 1924 and was himself a "pocho" - a child of the depression era Mexican-American transition. ("I am a Pocho," he said, "and we speak like this because here in California we make Castilian words out of English words." p 165)
Azuela shows these impacts by the progression of Camila, from a sweet innocent woman, to joining the rebel forces, and lastly to being killed. Symbolically, Azuela kills off Camila almost immediately upon her rise to power and drops her from the novel’s plot. This shows the how insignificant of an impact that women had on the battles, and how easily they were forgotten after death. Women still struggle today with gaining equal rights and treatment within the Mexican culture. It has taken nearly 70 years for women to gain equality with men in the workforce, gaining rights such as voting, and having a shared family responsibility with the male figure (Global). Unfortunately, many women within the working-class household still suffer from the traditional norms and values regarding the roles of men and women. In addition, these women were often subjected to control, domination, and violence by men” (Global). This validates Azuela’s stance on how women should stay within their traditional roles because fighting for equality has been ineffective even still
Rather, it criticizes this culture through its portrayal of women. The narrative is focused on a male and is told by a male, which reflects the male-centered society it is set in. However, when we compare how the narrator views these women to who they really are, the discrepancies act as a critique on the Dominican culture. Yunior, who represents the typical Dominican male, sees women as objects, conquests, when in fact their actions show their resistance to be categorized as such. Beli, whose childhood was filled with male domination by Trujillo and the family she worked for, attempts to gain power through sexuality, the avenue the culture pushes women toward. This backfires, creating a critique of the limited opportunities available for women. La Inca portrays a different side to this, working quietly but in ways that are not socially acceptable through self-employment. Society attempts to cage these women, but they continue to fight against it. Diaz, in an interview, quoted James Baldwin, stating, “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced" (Fassler). He exhibits the misogyny in the system but does not support it, rather critiques it through strong female characters. By drawing attention to the problem, the novel advocates for change. Diaz writes, at the end of part 1, “Nothing more exhilarating… than saving yourself by the simple act of waking”
Judith Ortiz Cofer, a professor of english and creative writing, tackles gender roles as well as cultural stereotypes in “ The Myth of the Latin Woman” and challenges them by attempting to replace the stereotypes with the realities. In “The Myth of the Latin Woman” Cofer discusses her life in America as a Puerto Rican woman. She also shares her stories of when she was stereotyped and how gender roles play a role in how Latinos are viewed. Stereotypes will follow you around because of your appearance and how the media portrays Latinas.
The eternal endeavor of obtaining a realistic sense of selfhood is depicted for all struggling women of color in Gloria Anzaldua’s “Borderlands/La Frontera” (1987). Anzaldua illustrates the oppressing realities of her world – one that sets limitations for the minority. Albeit the obvious restraints against the white majority (the physical borderland between the U.S. and Mexico), there is a constant and overwhelming emotional battle against the psychological “borderlands” instilled in Anzaldua as she desperately seeks recognition as an openly queer Mestiza woman. With being a Mestiza comes a lot of cultural stereotypes that more than often try to define ones’ role in the world – especially if you are those whom have privilege above the “others”.
My readings suggest the Hispanic culture gender roles are very common and strict. Starting early in life children are taught to follow the strict guidelines of their gender (American Home Resources, 2010). There exists three common gender specific scripts in Hispanic culture; females can either be “Marianismo” or “Hembrismo”, and, males are classified as “Machismo”. The two female roles differ greatly; “Marianismo” defines behaviors of women as being obedient, dependent and caring for their children. The “Hembrismo” role stresses a female’s strength to persist through life’s difficulties; however, this role is not accepted widely in their culture. The “Machismo” role describes behaviors of men as being dominant and independent. This role views the man as being in charge of the family. (Peñalosa,
The idea that a woman’s job is to be a wife and mother is old-fashioned, but not completely out of style. Though these roles require a great deal of talent, resilience, patience, love, and strength, to name a few, they are often underestimated or depicted as simple. Especially in modern times, many women in the United States who stay home to raise a family are viewed as anti-feminists, whereas women in Latin America are not criticized for similar actions. In recent decades, more Latin American women have started to break the mold, daring to be both sexy, and successful in the workforce, while remaining pillars of domestic life.
In the Book women are looked upon as objects by men whether they are boyfriends, friends fathers or husbands. The girls in the novel grow up with the mentality that looks and appearance are the most important things to a woman. Cisneros also shows how Latino women are expected to be loyal to their husbands, and that a husband should have complete control of the relationship. Yet on the other hand, Cisneros describes the character Esperanza as being different. Even though she is born and raised in the same culture as the women around her, she is not happy with it, and knows that someday she will break free from its ties, because she is mentally strong and has a talent for telling stories. She comes back through her stories by showing the women that they can be independent and live their own lives. In a way this is Cinceros' way of coming back and giving back to the women in her community.
I will begin to examine the Mexican American ethnic group, probing the historical circumstances that impelled them to come to America, focusing on the structure and functioning of their family life to determine or, at least, to raise clues about how and why they have been able or unable to maintain an ethnic identification over the generations, and take a brief look ahead to being to speculate what the future endeavors are for this ethnic group and their constitutive families.
Crouch, Ned. Mexicans & Americans : Cracking The Cultural Code. NB Publishing, Inc., 2004. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 21 Nov. 2011.
The struggle to find a place inside an un-welcoming America has forced the Latino to recreate one. The Latino feels out of place, torn from the womb inside of America's reality because she would rather use it than know it (Paz 226-227). In response, the Mexican women planted the seeds of home inside the corral*. These tended and potted plants became her burrow of solace and place of acceptance. In the comfort of the suns slices and underneath the orange scents, the women were free. Still the questions pounded in the rhythm of street side whispers. The outside stare thundered in pulses, you are different it said. Instead of listening she tried to instill within her children the pride of language, song, and culture. Her roots weave soul into the stubborn soil and strength grew with each blossom of the fig tree (Goldsmith).
The topic of Hispanic women experiencing inequality in education due to the social constructs of subordination and Hispanic culture is of interest to me because I am Hispanic and have fallen victim to the social constructs of subordination of women, within the Hispanic culture and educations system. Living in Chandler, Arizona during my adolescent years allowed me to experience two forms of education, public and private schooling. In Arizona, Charter schools are as common as public schools in California. Charter schools similar to Private...
Chicano/as and Mexican have the similar culture and yet it is different. In the short story, it explores the culture difference on ‘freedom’ within Mexicans and Chicanas based on the characters P.O.V, archetype, and the ironic name title.
Using both English and Spanish or Spanglish the author Gloria Anzaldua explores the physical, cultural, spiritual, sexual and psychological meaning of borderlands in her book Borderlands/La Frontera: A New Mestiza. As a Chicana lesbian feminist, Anzaldua grew up in an atmosphere of oppression and confusion. Anzaldua illustrates the meaning of being a “mestiza”. In order to define this, she examines herself, her homeland and language. Anzaldúa discusses the complexity of several themes having to do with borderlands, mestizaje, cultural identity, women in the traditional Mexican family, sexual orientation, la facultad and the Coatlicue state. Through these themes, she is able to give her readers a new way of discovering themselves. Anzaldua alerts us to a new understanding of the self and the world around us by using her personal experiences.