Lesson 19

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Question SA-4. Here is the text reference (p. 187/5):

Machismo is the exaggerated predominance taken by the male in Latin American society. The term is derived from the word "macho", which is literally "a male animal". It is a celebration of man's social and sexual predominance, power and virility. It has its roots in medieval notions of chivalry and honor and in the need for males to give special protection to women. In its less benevolent aspects it can become male aggressiveness and the felt need to control women. Tellingly, a romantic affair is frequently described by a Latin male as a "conquest" of the female. The Iberian Colonial systems had legal, religious and economic provisions which insured that women were kept in a subordinate status. It was common for women to have to get the permission of their fathers or husbands to acquire real estate or to travel abroad.