The International Entrepreneur: Machismo in Latin American Business
I recently had a string of business experiences that have brought home the “Machismo” aspect of Latin American business culture, particularly Mexican culture. I’ve been asked to fetch coffee for colleagues. One director automatically assumed that I was the intern, not the strategist. Sometimes comments made by me or by another woman are conveniently ignored. The Latin American markets are more important than ever. Knowing how to deal with this issue is important for women doing business in parts of Latin America.
I think that the cultural traits underlying Machismo is that many Latin American business cultures give men and women well-defined cultural identities. Men are to be more prominent in business, including leadership positions. Women, particularly younger women, are assumed to have a lower status than their male counterparts. It’s not to say that more defined gender roles is necessarily bad or good – it’s just not part of my home business culture so adjustments are needed to be more successful. So here’s what I recommend to women finding themselves in this cross-cultural situation:
Remember It’s Not Personal
It’s easy to jump to taking offense. But taking a cultural behavior personally won’t advance you towards your business goals. Stay calm.
Dress the Part
Know the dress standards that your cultural counterparts expect. In many Latin American cultures, women hold a higher standard of grooming and a more traditional expectation of femininity. Dressing away from those expectations could make your counterparts feel very uncomfortable about your gender identity, which could impede business talks.
Assert Yourself and Your Status
If men are treating you at a lower status level than your real status, keep asserting your proper role. If you’re the head of your delegation, then make sure that your colleagues are openly deferring decision making to you. A more extreme example I’ve heard from a woman on a trade mission to Veracruz, Mexico was never to stand on the edge of a group picture. She was literally cut out of the official pictures on the Mexican side. So stand in the middle of the group, while at the same time showing off your impeccable business etiquette.
Don’t Forget the Ladies
There are women in all Latin American countries who have risen to the highest levels of business and government. Feel free to work on building camaraderie and relationships with these female colleagues. We can certainly work to help each other.
Best of success to all!
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Great blog post. Gender differences are a key factor to bear in mind when operating internationally, and Latin America is no exception. However, variations across countries are huge. I see your experience is mainly from Mexico. I am Uruguayan and I can say that if you fight for it, you can get to the top, whether you are a man or a woman. Brazil and Argentina both have female presidents just now – it shows! I completely agree about grooming, though! (pay attention to your hair, clothes and make up – they WILL be scrutinised and they have a huge impact, more than in Europe! – but that applies to men, too – well, maybe not the make-up…).
As a very occasional visitor to South America, I’m not sure I am really qualified to speak.I have to say I didn’t really notice much difference in gender politics on my visits, although perhaps that was because I was confined to the business districts in the large cities?
At trade shows, there was no shortage of self-assured female business leaders, as I recall. I certainly agree with Gabriela’s point that, with female heads of state in two of the most prevalent economies in Latin America, I’m not sure that too many countries in North America and Europe have a great deal of ground on which to lecture this part of the world about women’s rights!
But as I say, my personal experience is very limited.
I love these responses. Thank you Gabriela & Tim!
You’re absolutely right – my Latin American business experiences are weighted towards Mexico, which is the closest Latin American culture to where I’m based.
I think both of you make an excellent point about great variance in Latin American business cultures and about confident, assertive South American business women. I have a friend who is a political science academic currently studying the effects of gender equality explicit in a country’s constitution and its potential effects on the status of women in Chile, Argentina & the US. She finds that incorporating gender equality definitely makes a difference in economics and politics (presidents, etc).
Other countries outside of Latin American with high grooming and fashion standards in business I’ve found include Russia, (Eastern) China, Japan, and Italy. Can you think of any others?
Thanks for your reply, Becky, and for Tim’s viewpoint. I think age is a bigger issue in Latin America than gender (at least in the “Southern cone”). Until recently, you wouldn’t have been taken seriously in business if you were under 40 (or 50 for CEOs). Things are changing but it is something worth exploring… A joint blog post coming up? 😉 – keep it up, this is the sort of exchange of ideas and experiences that I love – well-informed, open and polite – a real pleasure.
I must thank Gabriela for introducing me to your website. This is great stuff!
Also as a native from Uruguay, I tend to agree with Gabriela. Personally, I grew up with strong business/work female figures, which has made me repudiate any machismo-type of attitude during my adult years. Nevertheless, from a social point of view, this situation is undeniable, from chauvinist jokes to roles that we, as women, are expected to fulfill. Unfortunately, very often this social prejudice tends to extend into the business world; not many women, or human beings for that matter, are capable of separating both worlds.
It was nice attending American universities and taking gender courses, which allowed me to compare both mentalities. I’ve realized that there’s a common ground: If women are not occupying higher roles, whether in the business or political arenas, it is due to their lack of interest. An interesting demographic here in the U.S. is the Hispanic/Latino women (to which now I, apparently, belong): They all come from this machismo mentality, but yet they appear to be the strongest of them all; probably, in in an attempt to “regain” their legitimate place in society, fueled by the “new,” more liberal and feminist thought found in the U.S.
I would love to hear your thoughts.
Gabriela & Silvina, thank you for sharing your thoughts on this topic. It is greatly appreciated! Gabriela, I would love to do a joint blog with you in the near future.
I agree – age does seem to play a larger role because the world is changing. Younger professionals are generally more accepting of women in leadership roles. We are all world citizens bridging between cultures and I think we see the influence of that world culture. Perhaps some day soon Americans will follow countries like Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Pakistan and Germany – and elect a woman as president!
Silvina, I’m reminded of what Thomas Friedman wrote in the Lexus and the Olive Tree. For every push forward to make the world’s culture more homogenous, there is a reaction to push back against the change. I wonder if this is what we’re seeing in the machismo you mentioned.
Thank you both for a stimulating conversation!