How Latinos describe machismo is linked to their views on whether it is a good or bad thing and whether they say they behave in a way that is consistent with it. In general, Hispanics who have a negative perception of machismo are less likely to say they act in a way they consider consistent with the term.
Most Latinos who have heard of ‘machismo’ view it as a bad thing
Nearly three-in-four Latinos (73%) who have heard of machismo say it is a very or somewhat bad thing among Latinos. Meanwhile, 7% say it is a very or somewhat good thing and 18% say it is neither.
By Latinos’ descriptions of ‘machismo’
Nine-in-ten Latinos view the term machismo as the belief that men are superior to or better than women say it is a very or somewhat bad thing. Equal shares of those who describe machismo as acting in a dominating or aggressive way (88%) – or as the belief that men and women should have certain roles in society based on their gender (88%) – say it is a bad thing.
Smaller shares of those who describe it in other ways say machismo is bad thing among Latinos:
- 61% who define machismo as acting strong, tough or unemotional say it is a bad thing.
- 53% who define machismo as acting with emphasized or prideful masculinity say it is a bad thing. And about a third who define it this way (32%) say it is neither a good nor bad thing.
Roughly four-in-ten Latinos who define machismo as acting confident, chivalrous or protective (43%) see it negatively, while 23% see it positively. About one-third say it is neither positive nor negative (31%).
By gender
Overall, 79% of Hispanic women and 66% of Hispanic men who have heard of machismo say it is a bad thing.
While how Hispanics view machismo is generally linked to how they define it, there are some differences by gender among those who describe it the same way:
- 63% of Hispanic women who define machismo as acting with emphasized or prideful masculinity say it is a very or somewhat bad thing.
- A smaller share of Hispanic men who define it the same way (46%) say this.
About 1 in 5 Latinos aware of ‘machismo’ say they behave in a way consistent with it
Roughly one-in-five Latino adults (22%) who have heard of machismo say they act in a way that personifies the term. This includes 16% who say they sometimes act this way and 6% who say they extremely or very often do.
By Latinos’ descriptions of ‘machismo’
Whether Latinos say they display machismo behavior is linked to how they define the concept. Among Latinos who define machismo as acting confident, chivalrous or protective, 35% say they often or sometimes act in a way that can be considered consistent with machismo. And 30% who define it as acting with emphasized or prideful masculinity say they act this way at least sometimes.
Meanwhile, Latinos who describe machismo in other ways are less likely to say they often or sometimes act in a way that represents machismo.
- 16% who define it as acting dominating or aggressive say they behave in a way that is representative of machismo.
- 14% who define it as the belief that men are superior to or better than women say they act in a way representative of machismo.
By gender
Among those who are aware of the term machismo, Hispanic men (28%) are more likely than Hispanic women (17%) to say they act in a way that personifies the term. The shares who say they act this way still differ among men and women who agree on what the term means.
- Hispanic men who define machismo as acting with emphasized or prideful masculinity are much more likely than Hispanic women who define it this way to say they exhibit machismo behavior (45% vs. 10%).
- Hispanic men who describe machismo as acting strong, tough or unemotional are more likely than Hispanic women who use this definition to say their behavior at least sometimes exemplifies machismo (39% vs. 20%).
Meanwhile, similar shares of Hispanic men and women who define machismo as the belief that men are superior to women say they act in a way that is consistent with the term.
(While machismo is often associated with men, both men and women can display machismo behavior.)
For more details on Hispanics’ views of and experiences with machismo, including by age and political party, refer to the appendix.
