Author: Carmen Inoa Vazquez, New York University School of Medicine, United States of America
Email: cinoavazquez@usa.net
Published: January 2016
https://doi.org/10.22492/ijcs.1.1.02
Citation: Vazquez, C. I. (2016). The Influence of Gender Role Ideologies in Women’s Careers: A Look at Marianismo and Machismo in the Treatment Room. IAFOR Journal of Cultural Studies, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.22492/ijcs.1.1.02
Abstract
Global statistics document an increase in professional women’s careers with far more successful female roles and role models in the industrial, political and financial fields, though with some variation in the different regions of the world. Nonetheless, women hold only a small percentage of board seats and other influential positions in these areas Worldwide. It is also known that presently, women see themselves as progressive and career-oriented. Yet, in the treatment rooms of mental health professionals, they share experiences that evidence a great deal of discomfort in achieving successful careers free of stigma and guilt. One perspective in understanding this paradox lays with an appreciation of the gender role ideologies of
"marianismo" and "machismo", which socialize the roles, place and image of women and men differently across cultures and societies. Gender role expectations have not completely disappeared from women’s experiences in their day to day professional interactions, and are not confined to the members of more traditional societies. When marianismo and machismo are not understood or placed within their proper context, women’s overall self-esteem and career successes can be affected. This paper illuminates how these dynamics manifest in the treatment room of (medical) clinicians.
Keywords
gender role ideologies, marianismo and machismo, women's careers, self-esteem