Men's Role In Today's Society example essay topic

Introduction: Gender related issues are what have become dominant in our society. When we think of men's role in today's society, I personally think of a man that runs a household together with his wife. A couple that share equal authority on a household. A man's identity can be defined by his solid and firm attitude and relationship towards his family, yet somebody that shows love and affection to his wife and kids without being afraid of what another man might say. Yet in today's society men have taken many different roles and some affect their identities, relationships, and family life.

In the book, Hombres y Machos, Mirand'e weaves important issues in his analysis to examine how Hispanic and Latino men really act. Machos and Machismo: Men are given many different titles, but there is one in particular that defines a tough man that defends his masculine image, a "macho". Macho is the proof of the existence of the "masculine cult" or assuming that the Latino male is the unquestioned "lord and master" of the household. A macho is considered someone that does not cry in front of men and does not show weakness at any given time. Machos take the pain and believe that they can deal with it alone. The macho man is strong and tough.

He is the master of his territory: family, house, work, and community. For example, in my aunts house it is like my uncle is the master of the house. She works to support the household yet my uncle dedicates his check to his brand new truck. This is just ridiculous and after that he demands to have food on the table when he gets home from work, ironed clothes and everybody has to be quiet when is going to take his afternoon nap.

I just do not know why my aunt even bothers to still be married with him. He does not even help support his two children. My aunt is the one worrying about buying school uniforms, if they get sick and celebrating their birthdays. The word "machismo" is obviously of Latin origin, and the image of the "macho man" is often given to Latin men. Machismo means that a man cannot let anything ruin his image of himself as a man, regardless of the suffering. The proof of every man's manliness is his ability to completely dominate his wife and children, to have sexual relations with any woman he wants, never let anyone question or attempt towards his manhood, and never to reveal his true feelings to anyone.

Now this becomes a multidimensional concept covering multiple personality traits and behaviors. Mirand'e, points out that "historical experience and cross-cultural accounts suggest that machismo and the so-called cult of masculinity may not be unique to Mexican or Latino men" (16). With Mirand'e's findings, we can look at machismo not as something unique to Hispanic culture but at how it developed and exists in the lives of Hispanic people. Mirand'e points out that in the Hispanic culture, yet many of them carry the title of "macho", these men are most likely to spend more time with their families compared to any other culture.

The final source of machismo, and possibly its truer Latino form, is said to have existed in Aztec society before the arrival of the Spanish. Aztec society was based on patriarchy, men at war and women at home (Mirand'e 49). But Aztec patriarchy differed largely from that practiced by the Spanish. Male and female roles were respected as equally important, and there was a standard set of rules, or values, that both sexes were to adhere to. A good example lies in cases of infidelity. Both husbands and wives were expected to be faithful (52).

"A jealous husband who beat his wife because he suspected her of adultery was in violation of Aztec law, which specified that she was to be judged and punished by the state" (52). Now a day the state is definitely not involved in a case of infidelity only if a divorce is to take place. Men and women deal with infidelity in their own way. Many Latino men in present day society are making the effort to discover the true "essence of maleness", reaching back to its very first origins in Hispanic culture, where morals and equal respect for each gender exist. There is a systematic disjunction between men and women on this issue across all age groups and socio-economic levels. It is the traditional role for the male to provide for his wife and children.

But with the social, political and economic upheavals of this century, women are receiving more schooling and entering the labor force. The macho man then feels that he is inadequate because he is unable to provide for his family, "like a real man". But the issue extends far more beyond an economic one in which a woman's earnings allow her great negotiating among males. With women working outside the home it's not just a question of them having their own money now, as important as this has been, now they can rely on themselves and not depend on a male figure. Tying it to Hispanic Psychology: As mentioned in class lectures Hispanic househusbands are men that challenge the norms of the American culture. Marital roles continue to change and depict the environment we live in.

It is indicated that sex roles really have taken a drastic change in society. The wife's employment affects the amount of time she spends on the household chores and that impacts a greater participation in household activities for the males. The woman out of the home and staying away from traditional female tasks has come to the development of the househusband's role. The househusband is defined as a person that spends the majority of his time dealing with family matters and house maintenance and who is economically dependent on a female. On the other hand, in the traditional Hispanic family the father is the dominant figure and the mother takes an inferior position.

The father is in charge of the economic support of the family. In today's typical family a woman's income is an essential contribution. It is known that many females have careers and are the major economic support for the family. Studies indicate that the greater the woman's economic contribution, the greater the man's domestic contribution. The majority of the husband's friends accept the role when it is explained as economically necessary or due to the high unemployment rate. Some of the friends even help them around the house.

The drastic transformation of the males truly astonishes me. It is also the decisive and strong women's superior role taken in society, work force and home, that have declined the reliance on the men's role. Conclusion: In today's society gender roles greatly influences a person's identity, relationships, families and other issues. A lot of changes have taken place in the mainstream group as well as the Hispanic population. Although, many men are involved in the "macho" role it is clear that the definition of machismo is an ongoing struggle between terror and honor.

Work Cited Mirand'e, Alfredo. Hombres y Machos: Masculinity and Latino Culture. Colorado: Westview Press. 1997. Padilla M., A mando.

Hispanic Psychology: Critical Sigue's in Theory and Research. Thousand Oaks London New Delhi: SAGE Publication. 1995.