Feminism, Religion, and Culture

After tonights debate, my roommates and I were discussing some key points that were talked about throughout all three debates, then we hit the topic about women, specifically minority women.

We were wondering why Romney had certain conservative views on women, then began talking about Latina women and the sexist culture that exists in other cultures.

The latin culture has the "macho man" obsession. It is basically about the boys being taught from a young age that they are "boss." Then for girls, they are taught chastity because of the Virgin Mary (catholicism is the dominant religion among latinos). So there is a double-standard on things that are acceptable for men and not for women, and vice versa.

The idea of what is a "man" is different in America and Latin societies. American men are seen as soft and "open" to gender equality, whereas latin men have to be in control of everything.

We know that Romney is religious, therefore we can assume that his gender views come from theological standards. The Bible talks about how the woman is supposed to submit to her husband and that the man should have the authority. This belief is held up high in latin societies and oddly, we see a little bit in Romney's beliefs as well.

Feminism has been a big part of our society for quite a while now, with the "independent" and "equal" woman trend. Culture and religious beliefs will always play an important role on how we treat the opposite sex and their part in society.