While ‘machismo’ has multiple meanings to Hispanics, most view it negatively
Pew Research Center conducted this study to explore Hispanic Americans’ views of and experiences with the concept of machismo.
The analysis in this report is based on Pew Research Center’s National Survey of Latinos, a survey of 5,078 Hispanic adults, conducted Nov. 6 to 19, 2023. This includes 1,524 respondents from the Center’s American Trends Panel and an additional 3,554 from Ipsos’ KnowledgePanel.
Respondents on both panels are recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses. Recruiting panelists by mail ensures that nearly all U.S. adults have a chance of selection. This gives us confidence that any sample can represent the whole population. (For more information, watch our Methods 101 explainer on random sampling.)
In this survey, respondents were asked an open-ended question about what machismo means to them, and some quotations from those responses are used in this report. Quotations were selected for illustrative purposes and may have been edited for grammar, spelling and clarity. For more information on this survey, refer to its methodology and topline.
The terms Hispanic and Latino are used interchangeably in this report.
Immigrant refers to people born outside of the 50 U.S. states or the District of Columbia. For the purposes of this report, immigrant also refers to those born in Puerto Rico or other U.S. territories. Although individuals born in Puerto Rico are U.S. citizens by birth, they are grouped with immigrants because they are born into a Spanish-dominant culture and because on many points their attitudes, views and beliefs are much closer to those of Hispanics born outside the U.S. than to Hispanics born in the 50 states or D.C., even those who identify themselves as being of Puerto Rican origin.
U.S. born refers to people born in the 50 U.S. states or D.C.
Second generation refers to people born in the 50 U.S. states or D.C. with at least one immigrant parent.
Third or higher generation refers to people born in the 50 U.S. states or D.C., with both parents born in the 50 U.S. states or D.C.
Language dominance is a composite measure based on self-described assessments of speaking and reading abilities. Spanish-dominant people are more proficient in Spanish than in English (i.e., they speak and read Spanish “very well” or “pretty well” but rate their English-speaking and reading ability lower). Bilingual refers to people who are proficient in both English and Spanish. English-dominant people are more proficient in English than in Spanish.
Democrats and Democratic leaners are respondents who identify politically with the Democratic Party or who identify politically as independent or with some other party but lean toward the Democratic Party. Republicans and Republican leaners are respondents who identify politically with the Republican Party or who identify politically as independent or with some other party but lean toward the Republican Party.
For Hispanics living in the United States, conversations about gender can include discussions of “machismo,” a concept that generally captures ideas, behaviors and expectations related to men and masculinity that is sometimes attributed to Spanish-speaking cultures.
A November 2023 Pew Research Center survey finds that a large majority of Latino adults in the U.S. (83%) have heard of machismo. And among those who have heard of it, 73% say machismo among Latinos is a bad thing.
Overall, 60% of all Latino adults – including those who have not heard of machismo – see it negatively.
For decades, conversations about machismo have taken place among Hispanics and non-Hispanics alike in American popular culture, higher education and politics. In the 2024 U.S. presidential election, Donald Trump’s campaign was sometimes seen as displaying traits linked to machismo in an effort to appeal to men of all backgrounds.
In Latin America, conversations about machismo often focus on gender relations, including its links to toxic masculinity, sexism and gender-based violence. In recent years, governments across the region have launched campaigns against machismo to address some of these attitudes and behaviors.
U.S. Latinos define machismo in many ways. In the survey, respondents who have heard of machismo were asked an open-ended question about what the term means to them.
- 25% say machismo is the belief that men are superior to or better than women.
- 22% say it means acting with emphasized or prideful masculinity.
- 19% say it is the belief that men and women should have certain roles in society based on gender.
- 17% say it means acting dominating or aggressive.
There are substantial differences in Hispanics’ views of what machismo means by the primary language they speak and where they were born. Meanwhile, there are more modest differences by gender.
In terms of personal behavior, 22% of Latino adults familiar with the term say they act in a way they consider to be consistent with machismo. Among men, 28% say they sometimes or often act this way, and among women, 17% say they do.
These findings come from Pew Research Center’s bilingual National Survey of Latinos, conducted in November 2023 among a nationally representative sample of 5,078 Latino adults.
‘Machismo’ in history, scholarship and daily life
Machismo is a word rooted in the Spanish language. However, both Spanish– and English-language scholarship have contributed to the development and popularization of the concept. Machismo and ideas related to it gained prominence throughout the 20th century, and by the late 1900s, it started to appear in popular culture outside of Latin America in music, entertainment, sports and beyond.
In the last few decades, machismo has been studied as a range of traits tied to masculinity that can have negative, neutral or positive connotations. Others have tied machismo to negative impacts on Latinos’ mental and physical health.
Some have criticized machismo as a concept that portrays Hispanics as monolithic – stereotyping Hispanic men as overly aggressive and hypersexual and Hispanic women as subservient and passive. Critics have also described machismo as an idea imposed on Latinos by outside influences.
Machismo is also closely related to marianismo, a concept focused on traditional roles and expectations about femininity among Hispanic women. Pew Research Center has explored Hispanics’ views on gender and gender roles in the U.S., including pressures that Hispanic women and men face in the U.S. today.
What ‘machismo’ means to U.S. Latinos, by key demographics
Hispanics’ views on what machismo means varies significantly by the primary language they speak. This can reflect the culture and place they grew up in or remain connected to, which can influence their attitudes and views. Among Hispanic adults who have heard of the term “machismo”:
- Those who primarily speak Spanish (34%) or are bilingual in Spanish and English (29%) are more likely than primary English speakers (13%) to say machismo is the belief that men are superior to or better than women.
- English-dominant speakers (42%) are far more likely than bilingual (19%) or Spanish-dominant speakers (4%) to describe machismo as acting with emphasized or prideful masculinity.
These views mirror the diverse ways that major Spanish- and English-language sources describe machismo. For instance, the Real Academia Española’s definition emphasizes male arrogance and sexist discrimination, while Merriam-Webster’s definition emphasizes “masculine pride” and “exaggerated masculinity.”
Latinos’ views also differ by where they were born. Among those aware of “machismo”:
- Immigrants are twice as likely as the U.S. born to describe machismo as the belief in male superiority (34% vs. 16%).
- U.S.-born Latinos are roughly four times as likely to say machismo means acting with emphasized or prideful masculinity (37% vs. 9%).
Jump to more on machismo awareness among Latinos and what it means to them and how their views vary by other demographic groups.
In their own words: What does ‘machismo’ mean to U.S. Hispanics?
Survey respondents, in an open-ended question, shared what the term machismo means. Below are selected responses.
“Machismo refers to the privileges and treatment that men give and receive in their lives just for being men, and these privileges and treatment are, for the most part, negative towards the well-being of men and their loved ones.” – U.S.-born man, late 20s
“A visible self-presentation as well as internalization of being strong, indomitable, capable, serious, thoughtful, insightful.” – U.S.-born woman, mid-60s
“Un hombre que se siente superior a las mujeres solo por el hecho de ser hombre. Que piensa que el rol de la mujer es quedarse en casa y atender a sus hijos sin oportunidad de superación personal.” – Immigrant man, late 30s
“Machismo means needing to feel and act manly or macho, including putting their pride and ego over those around them.” – U.S.-born woman, mid-20s
Do U.S. Hispanics think ‘machismo’ is a good or bad thing, and do they display machismo behavior? It varies by how they define it
Most Latinos who have heard of machismo view it negatively. Yet these views vary considerably based on what it means to them. For example:
- 90% of Latinos who describe machismo as the belief that men are superior to women say it is a somewhat or very bad thing.
- 43% of those who describe machismo as acting confident, chivalrous or protective view it negatively.
Whether Hispanics say they display machismo behavior is also connected to how they describe the concept.
- 14% who describe machismo as the belief that men are superior to women say their behavior is consistent with machismo at least sometimes.
- 35% of those who describe it as acting confident, chivalrous or protective say they act this way.
Generally, those who see machismo negatively are less likely to say they act that way.
Jump to more on Latinos’ views and experiences of machismo and how it varies by what it means to them.
