Male Migration Machismo, and Conjugal Roles: Implications for Fertility Control in a Mexican Municipio

Abstract

Migration of married men to the United States provides the primary source of support for an increasing number of Mexican rural families. Extensive research in a rural Mexican mestizo municipio provides firm evidence that migratory married men continue to fulfill traditional familial obligations associated with their gender and even provide for household comforts leading to a rise in social status. Conjugal families are maintained but women’s dependence is increased, while men continue to realize the ideals of machismo and associated dominance. The issue of fertility control is analyzed in this context to illustrate how migration, as an acceptable economic strategy, is used to resolve a paradox, turning fertility control from a negative attribute for males into a positive one.