Gender Dynamics of Violent Acts among Gang Affiliated Young Adult Mexican American Men

Abstract

This chapter examines how gender dynamics shape violent acts among Mexican American young adult males with a history of adolescent gang membership. We use the concept of hegemonic masculinity to examine the various ways that gender is performed in acts of violence (Connell, 1995). Masculinity is not a fixed entity or individual personality traits, masculinities are “configurations of practice that are accomplished in social action and, therefore, can differ according to the gender relations in a particular setting” (Connell & Messerschmidt, 2005:836). In other words, “gender identity is never a completed project, but always a developmental process which unfolds within a social context” (Messner, 1990:209). Nevertheless, the tendencies for aggression and violence are central to what it means to be masculine (Messerschmidt, 2000; Crowley, Foley et al., 2008) because “real men” must show others that they are not afraid (Kimmel, 2010). We examine the unfolding of masculine identity among disadvantaged Mexican American men in two different yet related contexts: violent acts with other men and the retelling of these violent acts. Among disadvantaged men, in general, social class is central to masculinity because these men are likely to have limited options in accomplishing their masculinity compared to men with more advantages (Britton, 2011; Messerschmidt, 1993; Stretesky & Pogrebin, 2007). The type of masculinity expressed by Mexican American males, more specifically, varies depending on a constellation of variables related to social class including income, generational status, education, and association with the criminal justice system (Rios, 2011; Valdez, 2007).

Interpersonal Partner Relationships, Bonds to Children, and Informal Social Control among Persistent Male Offenders

“…In some cases, this stress led to such frustration that men chose to return to street-based criminal activities. These values are an extension of hyper-masculinity that framed much of these men's behavior, and are embedded in situated activities and an environment that is based on a male-dominated patriarchal hierarchy (Nowotny et al 2016;Rios 2009). In other words, the gender ideology expressed by the men in this study, a product of their gang embeddedness, prohibited them from having positive romantic relationships.…”

Syndemic Profiles for HIV, Hepatitis C, and Sextually Transmitted Infections Among Mexican American Women Formerly Affiliated with Youth Street Gangs

“…A plethora of research has documented the link between youth gang membership and multiple health risks, including drug use and misuse [8,9], interpersonal violence, injury, and mortality [10][11][12][13], and risky sexual behavior (e.g., non-condom use) [14][15][16][17]. Research also consistently shows that male youth street gangs are hyper masculine in structure, status hierarchies, and activities, and, like other male-dominated settings (e.g., fraternities, military), they are important for shaping peer gender dynamics [18][19][20]. Relatively little attention, however, has been focused on girls (e.g., adolescent and preadolescent) association with male street gangs and the longterm health consequences for this population.…”

Organized Community Activity Participation and the Dynamic Roles of Neighborhood Violence and Gender among Latino Adolescents

“…Conversely, Latino adolescent boys were more likely than their White male counterparts and fellow Latina peers to report violent victimization, even while controlling for individual and neighborhood characteristics (Lauritsen & White, ). For Latino adolescent boys in violent neighborhoods, gender‐specific violence is likely experienced through physical attacks and gang intimidation (Nowotny, Zhao, Kaplan, Cepeda, & Valdez, ). Differences in the type of violence experienced may provide Latina girls and Latino boys with distinct constraints when navigating their neighborhoods to seek resources such as community organizations (Clampet‐Lundquist et al., ; Cobbina et al., ; Rasmussen et al., ).…”