"Woman is of the House and Man is of the Street"
A video Exploration of machismo, religion and gender roles in
the Latin America
Created by: Martha Garzon
When: 3 pm Saturday, March 20, 2004
Where: HCC Ybor Performing
Arts Theater
Still from "Woman is of the House"
By Martha Garzon
Inequality in Latin America is still legitimized and enforced by law, religion
and tradition. An excess of male power and privilege and the corresponding low status and
inferiority placement of women characterize the machista Latin American society.
The experimental documentary “Woman is of the House and Man is of the Street” explores
public and private spheres in Latin America through interviews to men and women from Colombia,
Cuba, Argentina, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Costa Rica and Puerto Rico.
Filmed in Colombia and the US, the video blends Latino popular culture and functioned as a
mirror of Latin America's sexually segregated society.
The fact that every day more women study and work outside the household, doesn’t mean
that equality exists between the sexes. It doesn’t mean that machismo has disappeared.
Machismo is still very ingrained in Latin American culture. Sometimes it is accepted in an
open and natural way but most of the time it is imperceptible and habitual.
