Marianismo

Marianismo is having a strong sense of femininity; it is characterized by virginity until marriage, submission to men, self-sacrifice, tolerance, and nurturance. This is highly associated with Hispanic cultures or Catholicism as it emulates the traits of “The Blessed Virgin Mary”. This term was first used in the 1970s to refer to norms concerning Latin American women. It is the counterpart of machismo which expects men to be muscular, aggressive, dominant, and sexually experienced.

For instance, Margarita, a 25-year-old Latina is expected to be docile to her husband, be good at house chores, tend to her husband and children well, and devote her life to God and family. She was later frowned upon by her relatives when she started advancing her career and asked her husband to cook and do laundry. She was also chastised by her mother when she decided to hire a babysitter.