Machismo

MACHISMO : Male chauvinism. What can we say? All nationalities practice it to some degree. It used to be a sophisticated art in Puerto Rico. However, it seems to be slowly fading away in some respects.

Operation Bootstrap was an economic development program that attracted industrial enterprises to Puerto Rico by granting them tax exemptions and other financial incentives. During the 1950's and 1960's, Puerto Rico underwent a dramatic social change as a result. Prior to 1950, there were very few employment opportunities for females. Agriculture and construction were at the time the mainstays of the Puerto Rican economy. Those activities required mostly males. After 1950, many of the factories that were established on the island would hire females as laborers, principally in the needle industry. Females thus became an active part of the working class. They also became an important part of the active voters. Enough females are present in each aspect of everyday life as to negate a prevailing machismo.

However, passionate crimes are still a part of everyday life in Puerto Rico. Many such crimes are a direct result of our machista traditions. Crimes of domestic violence capture news headlines quite often.

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