Hierarchy is significant in Mexico. Professional status and authority are highly respected. Unless you are a family member or family friend, work titles are expected when addressing someone in a professional and casual setting. Failure to do so will be seen as disrespect and as a result, a tainted relationship. For this reason I believe Mexico’s rank on the power distance scale to be a 9 rather than an 8, which is, what the group ranked them. One well-known form of power distance is through the use of tu and usted.
Tu is used when addressing a friend or family member that is of the same age or younger, whether it be in a casual or professional setting. Usted is used when addressing a friend or family member that is older or of high ranking. If these pronouns are not used correctly, this too will taint a relationship and the individual’s parents will be judged because it is a reflection of how they were raised, in this case, improperly. Respecting elders and professionals go hand in hand.
To acknowledge someone’s work status such as Senor or Senora, Professor or Professora, Doctor or Doctora and etc. is acknowledging their accomplishments. Mexican’s are proud people, this can be good and bad, and if they worked hard to earn a position they would want to be respected and appreciated for it. For these reasons I rank Mexico a bit higher on the Power Distance spectrum as opposed to the group. Individualism 12345678910 Individualistic Collective Mexico is a collective culture that places emphasis on a whole group of peoples as opposed to just ones self. As stated before, Mexicans highly value their relationships and family ties, which makes them a collectivist culture.
In the work place, Mexicans are way more likely to hire someone that they personally know or a friend of friend. They look at qualifications based on word of mouth from someone close to them rather than a resume. This reflects the value that a groups opinion on one person is more valued that the individuals personal success. In the Mexican culture, success is not determined by individual accomplishments. Success is determined by how one networks and establishes relationships; reputation is taken into consideration more over qualifications.
Success is measured differently for men and women. For a man, success is determined by how well he can financially support his family. My brother works hard to support my mother so she won’t have to work anymore. To him, being successful is financially supporting our mom and providing her with everything and anything she may need or want. For a woman, success is measured by how well she raised a family or how well she has taken care of a loved one. My mom takes pride in how she raised my brother and I because we are the first in our family to attend college.
To her, our academic and personal success is a reflection of the years of hard work she put into raising us as best as she could therefore, she deems herself successful through her children’s endeavors. Collectivism is also reflected at home in the form of family. Compared to the American culture that encourages people to move out of their household as soon as they possibly can, Mexican families allow their children or relatives to live at home for as long as they can to save up money and eventually move out. Being independent is not an aspiration.
This is not to say that the Mexican culture encourages being dependent on others instead, the culture accepts families to stay together even if that means living at home until one is about to get married. The group rated Mexico an 8 stating that it is a collectivist culture and I agree with their analysis. Competition 12345678910 Competitive Cooperative I would agree with the group and rate Mexico and 8 being a cooperative culture. Emphasis is placed on the quality of life, interdependence and relationships. This is reflected through the hospitality and generosity of the Mexican culture.
Instead of competing to be better than one another, Mexicans welcome people into their homes and treat them with the utmost kindest hospitality. Mexicans often joke about their grandmothers being upset when guests are over and the guests do not eat. It is offensive to a Mexican family if a guest is over and they do not eat the food that is offered to them because they would feel as if they are not doing a good job taking care of their guest. The cooperative nature of the Mexican culture is closely tied with the collective nature as well.
For example, hiring family members or family friends solely based on the relationship and not necessarily on actual qualifications for the job. Mexicans are not competitive people even in a work setting. The main objective is not to get ahead of another, but to work together as a cumulative group and for all to become successful because the outcome would be a greater life for all, not just one individual. My uncle runs his own auto shop and his employees primarily consist of family members and close friends. Although many issues arise due to each person being so closely related, firing a family member or friend is not an option.
The relationship he has with his employees is second to the familial ties and firing them would harm the entire family. This reflects my uncle’s cooperativeness despite the dramatic occurrences. His relationship with family is the most important. Structure Group Analysis 12345678910 Low High My Analysis 12345678910 Low High Mexico is an intensely high structure culture. The group rated Mexico an 8 on the structure scale however I rate the culture a 9. 5. The reason I am not rating Mexico a 10 is because the culture has become slightly lenient over the years. Mexican culture is notoriously known for being significantly high structured.
Any change to tradition or rules can cause uproar in a group because breaking tradition is the equivalent to disrespecting past generations. One of many examples of this is I dated an African-American boy. I remember the day I introduced him to my family at a gathering and my grandparents looked stunned. They questioned my mother about my decision to date him let alone bring him around the family. The issue was not that he was African-American, no; the real issue was the fact that he was not Mexican. My grandparents are extremely traditional so their thought process was, “are Mexican men not enough for you? is what they asked me.
Me dating this guy offended them because since he was not Mexican, he would not understand Mexican traditions, he did not speak Spanish, and therefore, I would break tradition. Another issue was my decision to attend an out-of-state university. Being as I am from California, Oregon was way too far for my families liking. People in my family and culture usually commute to college that way they obtain their degree all while remaining close to the family. That is not what I wanted and to no surprise, my family did not agree with it at first.
It was a long discussion of me having to explain all the benefits of going out of-state and how they outweighed the benefits of me staying close to home and commuting. It is one thing to explain these issues to someone that is not apart of the Mexican culture and another to actually experience it first hand. Although the aforementioned may not seem appalling, they have deeply affected my relationships with my family. It is not that my family or any Mexican family is closeminded; they simply hold on to traditions and have not experienced anything other than tradition so any change is threatening.
For these reasons I rate Mexico higher on the structure scale than the group did. Formality 12345678910 Informal Formal Mexico is a notably formal culture earing itself a score of 9 on the formality scale. Especially as a businessperson in Mexico, it is important to follow the formal guidelines. Greeting and attending business meetings have strict protocols that must be understood and respected. As stated earlier, addressing a person by their profession shows that you value and recognize the hard work they underwent to earn such a title. Along with this is the tu and usted form of addressing someone.
In a business setting, even if they are your age and same work ranking, if you do not know the person you must address them with usted as a sign of courtesy and respect. A firm handshake and constant eye contact are strong attributes that are also highly respected in Mexico. For a man, it is a symbol of confidence and masculinity. For a woman, a warm hug or gentle handshake is accepted however; you must wait for the woman to extend her hand first for the handshake. Hugging a woman with a kiss on her cheek is not inappropriate. This goes back to the value of space; all space is shared.
After a business meeting, inviting your Mexican counterpart to your home or out for a proper sit down meal will earn yourself respect. This shows that you are inviting them into your life and space. This also projects your hospitality manners and being that Mexico is big on taking care of others through hospitality, this gesture will also earn you respect. Failure to place emphasis on formally addressing and respecting Mexican traditions will not only look poorly on you but on your family. Your family will be judged and criticized for not raising you properly and as a result, your family will lose face.
Introduction My name is Corinna Soriano and I am a proud MexicanAmerican that was born and raised in East Los Angeles, California. My mother and biological father were born and raised in Zacatecas, Mexico. They moved to the United States when they were around the ages of 13 and 16. They divorced when I was 3 years old and my mother remarried a Caucasian man and together they have raised my brother and I. Growing up in a city that is a predominately Latino/a community and being raised by a traditional Mexican woman and an American dad has made me a culturally diverse individual.
Despite my parents split, I have kept a close relationship with my father’s side of the family. I am Mexican through my mother and biological father and an American through not only being born in the country but through my stepfather’s influence in my life. Tam closest to my mom and biological father’s sides of the family than I am to my step-dad’s side since most of his family lives across the country. As a result of this, Mexican traditions and the culture play a huge role in my life and the way I view the world around me.
I visit Mexico every summer for a few weeks each time so I keep my Mexican roots strong. Even though I am closely tied to my Mexican heritage, I differ from in many ways. Despite these differences though, I still feel safest and most comfortable in a Mexican/Latino surrounding. I will go into further detail on how being both Mexican and American molded me into the person I am today through an in-depth analysis of the cultural values we studied throughout the term. Nature 12345678910 Control Harmony Controlled By I wake up every morning with the belief that I was blessed to live another day.
My family is entirely Catholic and by default, so am 1. Attending mass every Sunday has been a ritual in my family however, I have broken from this and keep a close relationship with God through prayer. I am harmonious and respect nature to the fullest but my faith in an external force, God, is stronger than any other faith I have. I believe every thing in life happens for a reason and I take on each challenge life presents me with as a compliment from God knowing he is sure I will make it through any obstacle.
