Meaning of Macho illustrates how cultural changes have altered the perceptionof masculinity within Mexican society. First, if one considers this study as a reflection based on the political economy theory, one will be able to analyze the following events as causes of greater cultural changes. For example, 1982 economic crisis had forced women to find out a paid occupation outside the boundaries of Col. Santo Domingo in order to supply a second income or replacer those money entries lost by the massive cut offs. Since their husband were dissmised from their jobs, women had become in the only providers and consequently, they had achieved independency and respectability. From this perspective, Capitalism is the main reason of the cultural evolution of the notion og being a “ woman” within the Col. Santo Domingo, it has changed from “ la mujer sumisa” to a woman who is able to earn a living and fulfill the economic needs of her family. Therefore, men are not essential elements inside the family economy anymore.Infact, a large amount of women are head of families in Col. Santo Domingo.
Added to that, another interesting perspective which can be extrapolated is new paradigm of being “macho”. The dichotomy macho/ mandilon is considered an old fashion cultural pattern, since young generations share household chore and parental tasks. Men think of themselves as helpers of their wives rather than lord and masters of their homes and families. However, the ancient pattern of “ macho” plays a key role in certain parts of Mexican society such as the “narco cultura” and its assimilation of the “narco” as the “ macho”.
At the same time, the massive introduction of new cultural items, imported from the United States and Europe, such as birth control, television and foreing cultural patterns, has supported the ideological scafollding of this change. Nowadays men and women are exposed to disparate ways of gender stereotypes which defy the old ones and in order to assimilate themselves to these changes, they have adopted as part of their lives. By example, the author points out the case of an 80 years old man who has been recently learnt how to change nappies because he attended a course given by his church. This man explained his new attitude in order to be prepared when his grandchildren will arrive since he was not able to change his children’s nappies in the past.
Finally, perception of masculinity has certainly changed within Col. Santo Domingo, however, there are still certain topics considered as women`s topics such as birth control and cooking ( men are not allowed to get into the kitchen and only women must worry about taking contraconception pills to control the number of children ).In short, an external event – the 1982 economic crisis – was the starting point of a cultural change whose consequences have dramatically modify a complete culture. Furthemore, the futuro of the concept “ macho” is still unknown and nobody can predict how further generations will define “macho” and masculinity .
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