Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHistoryThree Concepts of MarianismoHealth ImpactMachismo and MarianismoGender-Based ViolenceProtests

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

History

Three Concepts of Marianismo

Health Impact

Machismo and Marianismo

Gender-Based Violence

Protests

Close

History of Marianismo

Although a definition of ‘Marianismo’ did not arise until the 1970s, the construct can be dated back to Colonization. When the Spanish arrived in what is now Latin America, they brought along with them their Roman Catholic beliefs, and inside their bibles and in their art, they praised a figure of what they believed to be the definition of a pure woman—The Virgin Mary.

The Virgin MaryMary, chosen to be the mother of Jesus Christ, according to Roman Catholicism, is believed to have given the ultimate sacrifice. She fully committed herself to the Catholic God and even bore his son. She was a woman of great dedication to her spirituality and became a deeply loving mother. This figure of Catholic history is where Marianismo comes from.

The Virgin Mary

Mary, chosen to be the mother of Jesus Christ, according to Roman Catholicism, is believed to have given the ultimate sacrifice. She fully committed herself to the Catholic God and even bore his son. She was a woman of great dedication to her spirituality and became a deeply loving mother. This figure of Catholic history is where Marianismo comes from.

She, Mary, is the great expectation for women in Marianismo. They will be pure, virginal, loving, and dedicated to lives outside their own.Often, to their own expense.

What ‘Marianismo’ Looks Like: Traits of the Ideal Latina

Expected Traits of the Ideal LatinaThe ideal Latina should be:SubordinatePureA good wifeA good motherVirtuousHumbleQuiet and not speak her opinionsDevoutly spiritual

Expected Traits of the Ideal Latina

The ideal Latina should be:SubordinatePureA good wifeA good motherVirtuousHumbleQuiet and not speak her opinionsDevoutly spiritual

The ideal Latina should be:

Three Main Concepts of Marianismo

Marianismo can be framed through three main concepts:

What Is Toxic Femininity?

The Health Impact of Marianismo

Marianismo has an overall negative mental health impact on women. Not only is Marianismo tied tohigher rates of anxiety and depression, but it also cultivates a culture of self-silencing where women withhold their thoughts, opinions, and emotions, with this being perceived as better for the family.

Self-Silencing Leads to Poorer Physical Health

According to Karen Jakubowski, a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Pittsburgh, the impact of self-silencing is not restricted to just one’s mental health.

A study of women (who were between the ages of 40 and 60 and self-silenced), found that they felt like they could not express themselves in intimate relationships and had a 14% higher chance of showing plaque in their carotid artery. Plaque like this could lead to cardiovascular problems, including heart attacks and strokes.

Self-silencing, a virtue of Marianismo, is not only detrimental to the mental health of women but to their physical health as well.

How Marianismo Relates to Machismo

Marianismo has a dyadic relationship withMachismo which is the social construction of masculinityacross Latin American and Spanish cultures.

In LatinX Culture, a Person’s Ability to Embody These Roles Determines Their Worth

Machismo cannot exist without Marianismo, with Machismo formulating attitudes regarding how women should perform. The virtues of women under Machismo parallel the definition of women who ascribe to Marianismo.

Marianismo and Violence

Marianismo is inherently and inarguablysexist. It contributes to the gender gap across Latin American countries and societies.

Women are conditioned to be passive and self-sacrificing–not empowered. Consequently, they are more likely to be targets ofgender-based violence. Femicide, or the murder of women because they are women, runs rampant throughout Latin America.

Emergency InformationIf you or a loved one are a victim of any form of violence, contact theNational Domestic Violence Hotlineat1-800-799-7233for confidential assistance from trained advocates.If you are in immediate danger, please call911.911

Emergency Information

If you or a loved one are a victim of any form of violence, contact theNational Domestic Violence Hotlineat1-800-799-7233for confidential assistance from trained advocates.If you are in immediate danger, please call911.

If you or a loved one are a victim of any form of violence, contact theNational Domestic Violence Hotlineat1-800-799-7233for confidential assistance from trained advocates.

If you are in immediate danger, please call911.

911

Latinas Are Fighting Back Against Marianismo Culture

Women raised in Marianismo culture are fighting back. For instance, in Argentina, women speak out against gender-based violence with a protest movement called #NiUnaMenos (“Not One Women Less”).

Mexico has followed suit, with its #UnDiaSinNosotras (“A Day Without Us”) campaign. During this protest, women walked out from their schools and jobs for 24 hours to show what society would be missing if women were not there.

To be a woman in the streets fighting for her rights, loud and empowered, is to signal to a patriarchal society that Marianismo is no longer the determinant of a woman’s worth across Latin America or Latin American societies.

Shedding Light on Mental Health in the LatinX Community

A Word From Verywell

While Marianismo has been embedded into LatinX culture, many people are pushing back against it as it’s become evident how detrimental it is to women’s mental and physical health. You have the right to speak up for yourself, express your feelings, andexplore your sexuality. Women do not have to be defined solely in relation to children and the men in their lives.

LatinX Therapyhas an extensivedirectory of LatinX therapiststhat speak both English and Spanish and are of varying genders, races, and nationalities. Therapeutic rapport is a must for successful treatment, so take your time and find someone you connect with.

Crisis SupportIf you or a loved one are struggling with a mental health crisis, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat1-800-662-4357for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact theNational Suicide Prevention Lifelineat988.For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.988

Crisis Support

If you or a loved one are struggling with a mental health crisis, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat1-800-662-4357for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact theNational Suicide Prevention Lifelineat988.For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

If you or a loved one are struggling with a mental health crisis, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat1-800-662-4357for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.

If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact theNational Suicide Prevention Lifelineat988.

For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

988

9 LatinX Mental Health Resources

6 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.APA Dictionary of Psychology.Marianismo.University of Pittsburgh Press.Marianismo : the other face of machismo in Latin America.UNED Research Journal.Marianismo Identity, Self-Silencing, Depression and Anxiety in Women from Santa María de Dota, Costa Rica.Jakubowski KP, Barinas-Mitchell E, Chang YF, Maki PM, Matthews KA, Thurston RC.The Cardiovascular Cost of Silence: Relationships Between Self-silencing and Carotid Atherosclerosis in Midlife Women.Ann Behav Med. 2022;56(3):282-290. doi:10.1093/abm/kaab046Garcia, Emma.Blending the Gender Binary: The Machismo-Marianismo Dyad as a Coping Mechanism.Honors Projects. 2021.Center for Strategic and International Studies.Femicides in Mexico: Impunity and Protests.

6 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.APA Dictionary of Psychology.Marianismo.University of Pittsburgh Press.Marianismo : the other face of machismo in Latin America.UNED Research Journal.Marianismo Identity, Self-Silencing, Depression and Anxiety in Women from Santa María de Dota, Costa Rica.Jakubowski KP, Barinas-Mitchell E, Chang YF, Maki PM, Matthews KA, Thurston RC.The Cardiovascular Cost of Silence: Relationships Between Self-silencing and Carotid Atherosclerosis in Midlife Women.Ann Behav Med. 2022;56(3):282-290. doi:10.1093/abm/kaab046Garcia, Emma.Blending the Gender Binary: The Machismo-Marianismo Dyad as a Coping Mechanism.Honors Projects. 2021.Center for Strategic and International Studies.Femicides in Mexico: Impunity and Protests.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

APA Dictionary of Psychology.Marianismo.University of Pittsburgh Press.Marianismo : the other face of machismo in Latin America.UNED Research Journal.Marianismo Identity, Self-Silencing, Depression and Anxiety in Women from Santa María de Dota, Costa Rica.Jakubowski KP, Barinas-Mitchell E, Chang YF, Maki PM, Matthews KA, Thurston RC.The Cardiovascular Cost of Silence: Relationships Between Self-silencing and Carotid Atherosclerosis in Midlife Women.Ann Behav Med. 2022;56(3):282-290. doi:10.1093/abm/kaab046Garcia, Emma.Blending the Gender Binary: The Machismo-Marianismo Dyad as a Coping Mechanism.Honors Projects. 2021.Center for Strategic and International Studies.Femicides in Mexico: Impunity and Protests.

APA Dictionary of Psychology.Marianismo.

University of Pittsburgh Press.Marianismo : the other face of machismo in Latin America.

UNED Research Journal.Marianismo Identity, Self-Silencing, Depression and Anxiety in Women from Santa María de Dota, Costa Rica.

Jakubowski KP, Barinas-Mitchell E, Chang YF, Maki PM, Matthews KA, Thurston RC.The Cardiovascular Cost of Silence: Relationships Between Self-silencing and Carotid Atherosclerosis in Midlife Women.Ann Behav Med. 2022;56(3):282-290. doi:10.1093/abm/kaab046

Garcia, Emma.Blending the Gender Binary: The Machismo-Marianismo Dyad as a Coping Mechanism.Honors Projects. 2021.

Center for Strategic and International Studies.Femicides in Mexico: Impunity and Protests.

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