Feminism and machismo

The feminism is a set of ideological movements and positions, both at the individual and social level, that seek gender equity for women women on the rights that have historically been denied to them,in the political, cultural, social, sexual and economic sphere.

The sexism is a set of socially constructed and shared attitudes in which the man and the associated with the masculine are considered superior to the woman and the feminine.

Since feminism has gender equality among its purposes, this is not a reverse machismo. Machismo proclaims a hierarchy in which the man is the norm and the dominator, while the woman is subordinate to this.

What is feminism?

Feminism is a set of ideological movements and positions, both individually and socially, seeking equal rights for women, in the political, cultural, social, sexual and economic spheres. These rights have historically been limited to men.

It also implies the fight against various forms of discrimination against a person, due to their sexual orientation, ethnic and regional origin, physical and mental characteristics, among many others..

The word feminism was adopted from the French feminism, from latin female, and which means 'female' and is also translated as 'she who breastfeeds'; as well as the suffix -ism, which means 'doctrine' or 'practice'.

This word was originally used in 1871 by a medical student, Ferdinand-Valérie Fanneau de la Cour, to refer to the problems suffered by men suffering from tuberculosis, which "feminized" them. A short time later, Alexander Dumas Jr. would use it to make fun of men who were activists in social struggles.

Later, the word feminism would be taken up again, in 1882, by Hubertine Auclert (1848-1914), a French suffragette, who would use it to name the type of social movement that sought equal rights for women.

Feminism has a heterogeneous character (there is no single feminism) and it is not defined from a single historical or theoretical perspective, nor from a particular locality.

The goal of feminism is for women to emerge from the unfavorable condition devoid of many basic rights that they have historically occupied..

Characteristics of feminism

• Challenge all forms of injustice suffered by women.
• Seeks gender equity, recognizing that women have found themselves in a situation of historical subordination to men.
• It is composed of various movements, ideologies and initiatives, both individual and group that may differ from each other.
• It gives validity to the interpretation that women make of their own realities, identity, sexuality, corporeity and the social system in which they live.
• Fight against all types of violence directed at women for the fact of being a woman.
• Challenge traditional conceptions about gender roles.
• Both women and men can be feminists.
• Combat machismo and the culture of patriarchy.

Feminism and gender equality

Equity refers to the search for a fair distribution between people who are not equal. In this way, if there is a differentiated treatment, it is equivalent as long as it allows as a goal that all people have the same benefits, opportunities and obligations..

Feminism fights for both equality and gender equity. Throughout history, men have been in a dominant position, while women have been in a subordinate position. Feminism seeks to eliminate this imbalance.

In other words, gender equality does not simply mean that women have access to the rights that men already have, but rather that the conditions are met so that all people can exercise the same rights, taking into account their differences and needs..

Goals pursued by feminism

At a general level, some of the main objectives that feminism pursues are:

• Gender equality.
• Representation and participation in political life for women.
• Access to education and that it does not promote gender roles that are unfavorable to any gender.
• Right to work and professionalization.
• Fair legislation in relation to marriage, property, economic rights, etc..
• Right to individual independence, to control over one's own body, sexuality and reproductive life.
• Make visible the contributions of women in society.
• The elimination of all types of gender violence, most of which is directed against women.
• That women have the right to health and safety.
• The elimination of the derogatory representation of women in the media and in society in general.

Waves of feminism

The different stages feminism has gone through are known as waves (waves in English). The name of each of these waves comes mainly from feminist movements in Europe and the Anglo-Saxon world (particularly the United States)..

Wave of enlightened feminism or first European wave (18th century and part of the 19th century)

The humanism of the Enlightenment and the French Revolution proclaimed universal rights for all men. However, in the case of women, they continued to be subordinate to men in the political, social and economic fields..

This is why several authors and thinkers, including Olympe de Gouges (1748-1793) and Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797), published documents in which it was sought that women obtain the same recognition and rights that the Enlightenment had ensured to the men.

At that time, women began to organize into groups or clubs, debating by themselves the necessary points to be able to participate in political life..

First Anglo-Saxon Wave and Second European Wave (19th century and first part of the 20th century)

This wave is marked by the search for civil rights and by the suffrage struggle. Its context ran parallel to the abolition of slavery in the United States.

In 1848, during the Seneca Falls Convention (New York), the Seneca Falls Declaration was prepared. Among its resolutions were declared the statute of natural equality between men and women; and the right of women to be educated about politics and to be able to vote.

Most of the activists of this movement were white women, in a context of racial segregation, so there was a limited participation of black women.

Thanks to this movement, in 1920 the right of women to vote was finally ratified with the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution..

Second Anglo-Saxon wave (between 1960 and 1990) and third European wave (from 1960 to the present)

It is after the Second World War and occurred in parallel to the social struggles for civil rights (in the United States).

Feminist movements challenged forms of subordination of women within private life, gender roles in the family, and violence against women. In addition, reproductive rights and economic rights are required.

This wave achieved that women gained access to political positions, that divorce was a real option, the legalization of abortion, and the regularization of work outside the home for women.

Third Anglo-Saxon wave (from 1990 to the present)

This wave makes a critical analysis of the reality of women and is much more diverse than previous waves. Involves academic work, gender studies and theory queer.

Studies gender roles and includes gender and sexual diversity explicitly within the feminist movement.

It challenges the vision of sexuality and the sexual from the perspective of the heterosexual man, in which women were objects of desire and not subjects with agency..

It questions “woman” as an absolute, and observes how belonging to an ethnic group, culture and / or class can determine the forms of domination and violence suffered by a woman or group of women.

Fourth wave (21st century)

This wave is marked by the emergence of social networks through the Internet.

In addition to questioning the objectification of the woman's body, from a public discourse and less academic than that of the third wave.

It is marked by movements like the #metoo and other similar ones, in which the sexual violence suffered by women in the workplace, street harassment and other sexist practices that have been historically normalized are denounced..

Feminism and patriarchy

Patriarchy is a system in which authority and domination are exercised by man, both physically, socially and structurally..

Whether it is structural or systemic implies that there is an educational, cultural and political order that feeds the idea that men are the standard or the social norm..

Feminism challenges the patriarchal system by making visible the contributions that women have made in different areas of scientific, social and artistic knowledge. It confronts the subordinate role that has been assigned to the woman, as well as the right over her body. Promotes political participation and representation, equitably distributed and economic rights, among other claims.

However, even if women are the main subjects of feminist movements, feminism does not exclude the participation of men. These can be feminist and challenge the traditional forms of domination and discrimination that women suffer in all areas.

Achievements of feminism

• Voting rights for women.
• Access to higher education.
• Right to private property and economic rights.
• Sexual rights, including access to contraceptives.
• Civil rights and labor rights.
• In many countries, legislation protects women in cases of gender-based violence.

Figures of feminism

The following is a list of some of the leading figures of feminism past and present.

• Bertha Lutz (Brazilian, 1894-1976).
• Sojourner Truth (American, 1797-1883).
• Eva Duarte de Perón (Argentine, 1919-1952).
• Paulina Luisi (Uruguayan, 1875-1949).
• Olympe de Gouges (French, 1748-1793).
• Mary Wollstonecraft (English, 1759-1797).
• Emmeline Pankhurst (English, 1858-1928).
• Susan B. Anthony (American, 1820-1906).
• Simone de Beauvoir (French, 1908-1986).
• Betty Friedan (American, 1921-1906).
• Angela Davis (American, 1944-).
• Emilia Pardo Bazán (Spanish, 1851-1921).
• Clara Zetkin (German, 1857-1933).
• Virgina Woolf (English, 1882-1941).
• Naomi Wolf (American, 1962-).
• Clara Campoamor (Spanish, 1888-1972).
• Susan Sontag (American, 1933-2004).
• Molara Ogundipe (Nigerian, 1940-).

See also:

• Types of feminism.
• Difference between equality and equity.

What is machismo?

The sexism is a set of socially constructed and shared attitudes in which the value of the man and the attributes considered as masculine are taken as superior to the value of the woman and the attributes associated with the feminine.

It is a subjective and stereotyped construction of how a "real" man must act to be considered as such..

The word machismo is made up of Latin masculus (macho), meaning 'male', referring to the sex of an animal, and by the suffix -ism, which means 'doctrine' or 'practice'.

Machismo is a phenomenon rooted in Latin American male culture, where the original use of the word comes from, in addition to being a global phenomenon, present in many different cultures and societies.

It is based on the idea of ​​the male or male as the head of the group. The characteristics associated with the masculine are exalted and exaggerated, creating the ideal of the hyper-masculine.

Machismo also establishes the behavior that each person must maintain, according to their biological sex, and that must be made manifest in the way of living their identity and the gender attributed to them, in favor of what is considered masculine.

Characteristics of machismo

• Be part of the patriarchy.
• Exalts the heterosexuality of men as the only expression of sexuality considered valid.
• Promote the culture of sexual conquest.
• The woman is an object of sexual desire and does not have the same independence as the man.
• The role of the woman is defined according to her relationship with the man: if she maintains a close bond with the man (family or partner) it must be respectable; if it is the lover, "adventure" or conquest, it must satisfy the sexual desire of the man.
• Machismo is something that must be constantly tested, through aggressive behaviors.
• He is against any feeling that shows vulnerability or emotions associated with the feminine in man.
• It manifests itself through physical, cultural, social and psychological violence.
• Promotes gender-based violence, in particular violence against women.

Machismo and sexuality

In the field of sexuality, machismo expects man to act according to his supposed nature, as a sexual being full of desires to satisfy.

It only considers as valid the heterosexual sexuality of the man. The sexual conquest of women is a means for him to be considered a true male. Man's virility increases in proportion to the number of sexual partners he has.

Extramarital affairs are a way to show your virility. This causes social and health problems in the women involved, since in many cases sex is practiced without protection.

Machismo and the role of women

In a macho culture, women are required to submit to men, who are respectable, who do not have sexual desires or sexual independence, and who can take care of the home and children.

When it comes to sex, the woman is an object of pleasure for the man.

Effects of machismo on men

Even if women are the ones who suffer the most from the effects of machismo, it also affects men. For example, in a macho context, any type of expression that a man manifests in his behavior that does not follow a macho vision, makes him inferior to other men.

Attachment, displays of affection and other emotional attributes are considered exclusive to women and, therefore, inferior. The man who acts sensitive or vulnerable is not a complete man.

This can lead to stress, socialization problems, hyper-aggressiveness, and depression in men..

Machismo and patriarchy

Machismo is a radical expression of patriarchy. The man has a higher hierarchical position relative to that of the woman, denying any possibility of gender equality or equity.

Machismo and gender violence

In a macho society in which the duty of the man is to be a dominator, strong and unsentimental, violence against women is tolerated, excused and, sometimes, even applauded.

In many cases, sexist violence has fatal consequences and is the cause of femicides.

Consequences of machismo

• Promotes disparity about work within the family space, where women must carry the greatest burden.
• Social invisibility and economic and political violence against women.
• Psychological trauma due to stress, abuse, devaluation, humiliation, and other negative acts in women.
• Cycles of physical and sexual violence, assaults, threats and even the death of women.
• Health problems in women and sexual partners, due to the masculinity model that exalts resorting to extramarital relationships, in which the protection of the women involved is not considered.
• Domestic violence and problems.
• Pressure for not being able to show feelings and coercion to induce men to aggressive behavior can cause depression and other psychological ailments in men.