Date of Award
2020
Document Type
Latin America
Abstract
Guatemala has one of the highest levels of gender-based violence in the world, evidenced by 11,598 femicides from the period 2000 through 2019 (GGM, 2019). This problem is connected to understandings of masculinity that are informed by historical roots such as the colonization of Guatemala, the gendered ramifications of the civil war from 1960-1996 (La Violencia), social and cultural norms, as well as hyper masculinity. This paper aims to explain the issue in Guatemala and to look deeply into what is being done by the non-governmental organization (NGO) Nuevos Horizontes1 to combat the issue of hyper masculinity and gender-based violence. The paper uses qualitative research conducted in 2018 and a review of secondary sources available on the broader topic. Through participant observation of classroom workshops—led by Nuevos Horizontes—I am able to show how children reflect on conversations about gender in Guatemala. This paper argues that Nuevos Horizontes is changing perceptions of masculinity in an effective way by educating the youth in their community.
Recommended Citation
Ninen, Michael, "Understanding Approaches to Dismantling Hyper Masculinity in Guatemala:With the Non-Governmental Organization Nuevos Horizontes (2020)" (2020). International Studies Undergraduate Honors Theses. 8.
https://scholarworks.seattleu.edu/intl-std-theses/8