Neomachists: 7 signs and characteristics to recognize them

What is neo-machismo and what attitudes and phrases allow us to detect its annoying presence?

Thanks to feminist initiatives, women in many countries today can enjoy conditions of equality that would have been inconceivable decades ago.

However, male chauvinism is still deeply rooted in all types of cultures and societies, which means that many prejudices and ideas that lead to the undervaluation of women still weigh heavily. In Western countries, open and traditionally publicly vindicated machismo has largely disappeared, but there is still a remnant: neo-machismo. neo-machismo and, in particular, people with neo-macho attitudes.

What is a neo-machist?

A neomachist is, in a nutshell, a person who believes in the inferiority of women.The neo-machists either believe that women are less deserving of the appellation "human beings" than men, or that they are less deserving of the appellation "human beings" than men, but that they try to make this system of ideas more subtle. In other words, neo-machists reproduce to a greater or lesser degree the ideas linked to machismo, but reformulate certain assumptions and arguments to make them more subtle.

Neo-machismo, like machismo, is not based on hatred of women, as is the case where there is misogyny. It is based, plainly and simply, on contempt and the defense of the idea that being a woman always implies having less value as a person with her own interests, motivations and criteria.. Neo-machists will express these ideas indirectly, avoiding certain acts and phrases that are considered politically incorrect by the majority of the population.

Recommended reading: "Psychology of sexism: 5 sexist ideas that occur today".

Characteristics of neo-machismo

That is why recognizing a neomachist is not as simple as doing the same with someone who is clearly macho. However, that does not mean that it is not impossible to do so.

Below I propose some basic characteristics that may present the neomachist, not to criminalize people prone to fall into these attitudes, but to keep in mind that these ideas are still alive although it may not seem so at first glance.

1. Systematic condescension

One of the great paradoxes of neo-machismo is that it can be expressed through the it can be expressed through seemingly advantageous treatment of women.. But it is not a friendly treatment based on individual affection for a person who happens to be a woman, but is based on the idea that women have the social status of children who, because of their immaturity, must be protected and guided in their lives.

In this sense, a very present attitude in neo-machismo is to treat almost all women, in a systematic way, as if they were little more responsible for their lives and personal decisions than a boy or girl.

2. The elegant defense of traditional values

Neo-machists do not explicitly defend the legitimacy of men's power over women or the domination by force of the former over the latter, but they may show a longing for traditional values. they may show a longing for the traditional values on which such behaviors were based decades ago.. For example, they may show a romantic vision of the lover who protects his lover from danger and at the same time controls her so that she does not become the possession of another man. They may also claim, in a more or less veiled way, the ideal of the pure woman who lives only for her partner, which implies that women who do not conform to this stereotype are impure.

It is a defense of traditional values, which is intended to be associated with elegance and good manners, the morally correct and "the natural". Thus, the neo-machist denies the possibility of questioning these ideas and beliefs, the neo-machist denies the possibility of questioning these ideas and beliefs by relying on a dogmatism based on what has been done for centuries.

3. Recurrent comments on women's physique

Neo-machists, regardless of their sex, tend to make more comments about women's physique, tend to make more comments about women's physique than about men's appearance..

These may be phrases that fit into the theme of an ongoing conversation or they may be isolated comments, and may be directed at the woman herself or at other people. The fact is that in neo-machism, women's appearance takes on special importance, as it is related to the reproductive value of women.

4. Constant references to women's reproductive role

An important part of the work on gender studies and feminist anthropology points out the link that exists in the West between women and the domestic environment. Traditionally, in European societies, the role of women has been confined to the domestic sphere, while men, in addition to being in charge of their homes, have unlimited access to the public sphere of society. Thus, the idea has been put forward that while the male role is that of producer of goods and services that will provide for the family, women have traditionally been responsible for reproduction.

Thus, while men's role cannot be reduced to just one of their attributes, women's role can be reduced to one of their attributes, women's role can be reduced to the parts of their bodies that play a direct role in reproduction and childbearing.. Although in Western countries the sphere of women is no longer only the domestic sphere (the number of university women and qualified professionals has grown considerably), remnants of this value system remain in the form of neo-machismo where it is taken for granted, for example, that every woman's destiny is to be a mother, or where it is assumed that a woman's professional or financial success is linked to her ability to attract men.

5. Continuous references to feminine nature

Whether the differences between men and women are caused by culture and education or by genetic inheritance is a subject of intense debate in scientific circles and there is no clear answer. However, neo-machists will show a bias toward the position that all gender roles associated with the feminine are produced by Biological differences that cannot be avoided and that largely determine the behavior of both sexes, although to this day such a radical and deterministic position has little or no basis in fact.

Of course, the supposedly "natural" feminine behavior defended by neo-machism is more related to submission and domestic and simple tasks than those of men. and simple tasks than those of men, traditionally in charge of making the most important decisions and commanding the rest of the family members.

6. Criticism of female leadership

Seeing women in high positions or in positions associated with great decision-making power does not fit well with the traditional feminine ideal. Therefore, people prone to fall into neomachismo will show great sensitivity to mistakes or perceived negative characteristics that these women may exhibit, no matter how insignificant they may be.however insignificant they may be.

The very fact of being a woman with a high level of responsibility can be a reason for criticism if it is understood that she only does her job "to be able to command". This bias will not exist when evaluating the work of male leaders.

7. Compliments are always welcome

From the conservative point of view of a neo-macho person, women are always grateful for compliments if they are sufficiently elegant and inspired.

Of course, this is not the case, because if it were true, it would drastically reduce the level of complexity of women's psyche. However, neo-machismo emphasizes more the way in which women's mentality can fit the stereotypes of the feminine. than the ability of these people to think and act freed from these bonds.

A side note: criticisms of feminism

There are political motivations that lead to attempts to relate criticism of feminism (or even the use of words such as "feminazi") with machismo.

However, this can only be justified if feminism is simply understood as the vindication of the idea that men and women have the same value as human beings. The problem, and what makes it so that someone who criticizes feminism need not present the typical characteristics of someone who holds sexist ideas and beliefs, is that feminism does not have to adhere to such a lax definition, especially since it is understood that feminism does not have to beespecially since it is understood that there is not just one feminism but several.

The new feminisms are a set of social movements and theories that fight for the recognition of women as human beings and/or for women to have the same rights and possibilities as men. There is no common goal or way of understanding inequality between sexes and genders in these movements, and many feminisms are totally opposed to each other. The only thing that all the new feminisms have in common is that:

1. They point out the inadequacy of basing gender equality on the use of laws that do not discriminate between the sexes. They point out the inadequacy of basing gender equality on the use of laws that do not discriminate against women.

2. They challenge the traditional Western belief system and values regarding love relationships. They challenge the West's traditional belief system and values regarding love relationships, marriage or gender roles. Part of the battle waged by the new feminisms is cultural.

People who reproduce neo-machoist ways of thinking have reason to try to discredit all feminisms on the basis of the second of the characteristics shared by all new feminisms, which is that which goes against the essentially macho idea that women are predestined to fulfill a subordinate role.

In these criticisms there will be no room for the nuances that exist in feminisms, and everything that exists will be negatively pointed out. negatively point out everything that can be related to feminism as a unit, because as a set of political and social movements, feminism as a whole, is not a political movement, but a political and social movement.The criticism of feminism as a whole, because as a set of political and social movements, it can threaten the traditional value system.

Some limitations

However, this point, as a defining characteristic of people who reproduce a neo-machist way of thinking and acting, has an important limitation: it is not easy to know whether the criticisms of feminisms as a whole are based on the second characteristic shared by these currents of thought, or whether they attack only the first.

Non-conservative and non-chauvinist people could make very elaborate and solid criticisms based simply on the assumption of the overreaching of the new feminisms.

Conclusions

This short list of characteristics is not one that would allow us to identify people prone to neo-machismo in a matter of seconds.

Machismo does not consist of the repetition of stereotypical phrases and actions, but rather it is expressed depending on the specific context in which the person finds him/herself.. That is why to see if these indicators fit with someone's behavior it is necessary to take into account several factors and to assess the existence of alternative explanations.

Bibliographical references:

• Brescoll, V. L. (2012). Who takes the floor and why: Gender, power, and volubility in organizations.Administrative Science Quarterly. 56(4), pp. 622 - 641.

• Molina Petit, C. (1994). Feminist dialectics of the Enlightenment. Barcelona: Anthropos.