Reflection About Machismo

During a class discussion, the topic of machismo was brought up because students had started to notice characteristics of it during their outings in Rio de Janeiro. Machismo is the belief of some men that they are superior to women. It causes men to abuse women in a variety of ways causing physical, mental, or emotional damage. It was interesting to hear this brought up during a discussion, because despite observing it, it was not something that stood out to me enough to discuss it. In hindsight, I realize I had stopped noticing it because of how often I see machista behavior during annual visits to visit family in Mexico. This toxic masculinity in Latin American countries, however, took on a whole new meaning for me during my time in Brazil.

This ideology appears to be especially related to the delayed adolescence that has long been upheld in Brazil. Brazilians of all ages live at home until their late 20s or 30s, sometimes even later. It is so typical in Brazil that we even spoke about it in my Portuguese language class when discussing culture. I also saw it in my own experiences in Brazil, people are indeed living at home until a very late age compared to other countries. For example, it was unusual seeing my host-brother live at home despite being in his late twenties. This cultural facet likely has financial reasons, but it also has to do with the home structure and the expectations that parents have for their children. Brazilian parents prefer to have their child live at home, not working, then gaining a valuable skillset through the workforce. This delayed adolescence could foster a belief that serious relationships are not something worth pursuing, since men have the safety net and comfort of their home. In this sense, adulthood is delayed and so is the mentality of maturing in

For instance, machismo culture came up was during discussing the ethnography, Laughter out of Place, written by Donna M. Goldstein. Throughout it, she includes several different examples of how Brazilians, specifically those living in favelas, see some of the hardships they have to go endure, through a lens of humor. Throughout many of the examples are traces of machismo. One very powerful example is when Marilia, an adolescent, is told by her godmother that she has to move out after her husband made sexual advances towards her (Goldstein 2014:253). This specifically shows the degree of power men hold over women. Men can make these sexual advances with virtually no consequences, only reinforcing the idea that their sexuality is uncontrollable. This sort of power can leave women in helpless situations, as it did to Marilia. Not only do men exert this sort of power over women, but they often hold most of the power due to their economic power in different relationships. Men are often seen to be the sole providers of money in a household by “putting food on the table,” and once that role is fulfilled, nothing else within their actions matter (Goldstein 2014:140). This financial advantage that men have over women, is often what allows men to treat women horribly but also the reason that keeps them from leaving. Men’s