@article{ref1,
title="Machos and sluts: gender, sexuality, and violence among a cohort of Puerto Rican adolescents",
journal="Medical anthropology quarterly",
year="1999",
author="Asencio, M. W.",
volume="13",
number="1",
pages="107-126",
abstract="During the past decade, interpersonal violence increasingly has become a public health concern. As a result, prevention programs now aim to decrease violence among diverse populations. This article describes the beliefs and rationale for gender-based violence among a cohort of low-income, predominantly second-generation, mainland Puerto Rican adolescents. Based on a three-year (1989-91) ethnographic study, the findings describe how these young people, through the use of gender-based social constructs such as &quot;machos&quot; and &quot;sluts,&quot; justify violence by linking it to beliefs about gender roles, sexuality, and biology, and thus perpetuate gender-role conformity, particularly heterosexual male dominance. The findings suggest that if the public health community is going to reduce gender-based violence among Puerto Rican youth, it needs to acknowledge that gender and sexuality are important ingredients that support violence and avoid a simplified and stereotypical model of culture that ignores other social factors and changes in traditional Latino gender roles.<p /><p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0745-5194",
doi="",
url="http://dx.doi.org/"
}