The machismo culture is very common in the Caribbean and the
Dominican Republic. Although everyone has acknowledged the equal
capabilities
of women, the machismo culture still prevails in this
country. For a tourist, this can be quite alarming because it is a
very sexist attitude. However,
pointing this out to a Dominican might
not be met with the same acceptance. It's just a way of life and
behavior of men. Some of this behavior
should be stopped, but in most
cases machismo is acceptable as this is a part of the culture. Ask
your hot Dominican date about machismo and
they will likely only have
a vague idea of what it is because men's behavior is accepted.
The Culture of Good and Bad Machismo
The machismo culture is seen as a good and a bad thing in the
Dominican Republic. Machismo will always suggest that a man protect
his girl from every
possible harm. It is also important for a man to
work hard so that the family will be well fed. The wife will just
stay at home to take care of the kids and
the husband. On the other hand, the machismo culture has provided some bad
experiences to women. Domestic abuse is not uncommon in the Dominican
Republic and there are husbands who go out and seek additional
partners. This can easily create conflict at home and problems in the
relationship.
Machismo behavior in the Dominican Republic will often
allow men to seek extra partners in their relationship.
Dealings with Women and Homosexuality
Machismo culture is often a "conquering" culture when it
comes to women. In the Dominican Republic, a good way to show your
manliness is to show that
you can attract women. The more women a man
attracts, the more popular he gets. This is the reason why some men
in the Dominican Republic can be
smooth talkers to women because they
have to hone their skills in order to show that they are really men. Another effect of the machismo culture is the
view of
homosexuality. Unfortunately, acceptance of homosexuals in the
Dominican Republic is still not that popular. Male to male and women
to women
relationships are still considered taboo and those who
practice this are despised.
Government and Workplace Conditions
Even the government and workplace follow some sort of machismo
subculture. Most of the government officials are men and rarely will
one see women in higher
position. In the workplace, "mild"
sexual harassment is very common as comments on sex are quite normal. As a tourist, you may even notice machismo in the
streets. When a
very beautiful Dominican girl passes by a group of men, the reaction
of the men will be to make remarks about the girl and they will
usually
call her out even though they don't know her. While you as a tourist may be offended by a sexist display,
remember that it's part of their culture. Every country
has a
subculture that has some positive and negative effects and the
Dominican Republic is no exception.
Learning More About Dominican Machismo
