Overview
Located in Southwestern Europe, Spain, the 51st largest country, lies at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean. Spain is deep with values and architecture that date back centuries. With such a profound history, each region of Spain could easily be thought of as an independent country. Surpassing many hurdles over the last few decades has taught Spain at the end of the day all that matters is your word.
Cultural Aesthetics
Rich with medieval architecture, Spain is plentiful with Romanesque and Gothic structures. Due to Muslim presence, Spain can also possess an unequal number of buildings that give the presence of a totally different culture. Spanish villages or “pueblos” are in close proximity of each other along
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Their loyalty to family is of utmost importance. It is becoming difficult for them to enforce their values due to the family separation. Cohabitation is not uncommon between unmarried individuals. This undoubtedly leads to children out of wedlock. Women have the right to work, but still carry most of the burden of childcare and housework. Unlike decades before, Spaniards are less willing to put give up personal desires to gain the advantages of a better future, present-day Spaniards are paying more attention to what is available to them right …show more content…
After many decades of unemployment, the country made efforts to turn around the status of the economy however, after the recent recession, unemployment spiked to record high of 18.1%. Rigid labor regulations and the generous unemployment benefits are contributors for the grim unemployment state. Additionally, high unemployment benefits tend to cause the wages to increase, discouraging firms from employing more individuals. Another reason for high unemployment is its rapid modernization, causing declining employment in the agricultural area and other basic industries.
Role in International Trade
Spain’s agriculture provides around 3% of its gross domestic product. It produces wheat, sugar beet, barley, tomatoes, olives, citrus fruits, grapes and cork. It is the world's largest producer of olive oil, lemons, oranges, and strawberries and the third largest producer of wine. Spain has limited mineral resources. The manufacturing industry is led by textiles, industrial food processing, iron and steel, naval machines and engineering. Having become the second tourist destination worldwide, this results in the largest source of income.
Business
Latin American society places a great deal of importance on the family as a support network; it is not uncommon for several generations to reside in the same house. This emphasis is called familismo, and the mother in the family is usually the most important figure. She “is seen as the primary nurturer and caregiver in the family…[and] plays a critical role in preservation of the family as a unit, as well as in...
The first main difference in Spanish countries is food traditions. Most of the food there is ritualistic and sacred. With the different foods that they have, they have different
Culturegrams 1995. Brigham Young University: David M. Kennedy Center for International Study, 1998. German Economy. http://www.cnnfn.com
Furthermore, the roles in Mexican American culture are always changing, but it has one common structure. The traditional role of a mother is to clean, cook and care for the children, she is the “Heart of the Family”(Garcia). The spanish word to embody the job of the
Didion cites that the roles of both parents in the family are important in shaping the behavior of their children when they grow up. Richard Rodriguez is another author who has contributed to the knowledge on family values and gender roles. He holds a different opinion from Didion by arguing that family values and gender roles are influenced by the cultural background that the individuals have. Although culture has a great influence on the way people relate, they have the knowledge to differentiate right from wrong by adopting the right family values. He supports the current American culture and argues that families following the traditional cultures such as the Hispanics do not develop. This paper discusses family values and gender roles by evaluating the arguments of the two authors. It explores the extent to which family values and gender roles have been influenced by family experiences and
Predominant Spanish culture implements harsher societal expectations upon women, inherently provoking more oppression upon women than men. Early 1900s Andalusian culture, particularly, restricted women of many civil rights: they couldn't file for divorce, get an abortion, or place a vote. As societal norms repress the female population, women are coerced into an inferior position of submission, compelling them into heavy dependence upon the male figures in their lives. Austere societal expectations, in addition, demand chastity, respectful etiquette, and obedience in women, wherein worldviews are influenced to believe that marriage is more of a contract rather than a choice made to cater to one's preferred lifestyle. In Federico Garcia Lorca's Blood Wedding, evidence of societal values implemented in Spanish culture are primarily depicted through Lorca's use of the three leading female characters, Mother, Wife and Bride. Mother upholds the traditional role of a mother, maintaining the old-fashioned image of societal normalcy in Spanish culture; Wife, as expected by cultural expectations, is entirely submissive and inferior to her husband, Leonardo; and Bride portrays the emerging new generation of free will and feminism, a stark contrast to traditional Andalusian belief.
Child rearing and family structure within the Hispanic culture is noticeably different than what is present in the mainstream Western culture of today. One apparent difference is in gender roles. There exists a vastly different expectation in Hispanic culture for males and females. The male is considered to be the independent breadwinner, and the head of the household. Accordingly, the female role is one of submission and provider of childcare. In contrast, it is more than acceptable in Western culture for a female to maintain a non-traditional role. Hispanic culture additionally differs from Western culture in the traditional makeup of the family. Within Hispanic culture the extended family plays a huge role
It is being argued that young teenage women tend to work in the factories, away from the fields, and work in the fields very less. Due to this, the older mothers have to do the household work alone. Researchers observed that as the women work more outside as compared to in house, there was less unity in the family as the women stays away from the household activities. A study on the women workers in maquiladoras found that when selecting the women for the job, married women were preferred than those who are not married. The ideology behind this hiring process was that ‘’married women were assumed as more mature, having more experience of household work as compared to single women.’’ (Dominguez E., Icaza R., Quintero C., Lopez S., and Stenman A., 2010). As there are more females in the Maquiladoras, it raises the status of women in
Just like men customarily hunt and woman gather and raise the children, it is tradition in Hispanic culture for the “man” of the house to provide for his wife and kids. In my culture, it is common for the wife to stay at home, raise the children, and tend to the house, while the husband is the “bread-winner”. Similar to the Gebusi, my culture also has an initiation called a Quinceañera, which represents the transition of a young girl into adulthood. It is also distasteful for women to act promiscuous, although both young men and women collaboratively talk about their sexual lives to their respected
Numerous zones have experienced issues keeping up more seasoned structures, because of the environmental change numerous Baroque structures were devastated. A portion of the structural jewels are the numerous houses of worship that speck the scene. The point by point insides of the holy places are intelligent of the Medieval and Renaissance holy places in Spain. More up to date structures in bigger urban areas use cutting edge styles with variants of the Baroque style supplemented with wood and iron components.
Iberian-styled cities to help Spaniards adjust to America; hurricanes & Indians abandon/relocate towns; cities w/ grid-like foundation (unlike Europe); used Roman models
Spain’s importance of intimacy allows closer, more personal relationships with colleagues, friends and family members. The importance of masculinity creates a defined gender role for male Spaniards. The celebration of religious holidays in Spain allows the culture to attend to religious duties and also as recreational functions, such as La Tomatina (a giant Spanish food fight). Language is crucial to the Spanish culture because there are numerous regions in Spain that have twists to the language. For example, the biggest regional dialect is Castilian Spanish; however, the Basque, Galician and Catalan all coexist in Spain as
The sixteenth century was a time of economic growth for Portugal and Spain because of their various voyages to places, such as China and Brazil. Spain and Portugal were competing for land, resources, trade posts, and profit in the New World and Asia as seen in the making of the Treaty of Tordesillas and Treaty of Saragossa in 1494 and 1529, respectively. The Treaty of Tordesillas created a demarcation in the Atlanta Ocean for the future empires of the Spanish and Portuguese. The Treaty of Saragossa added another demarcation, but the demarcation was in the Pacific Ocean. Economic prosperity was not immediate and there were plenty of obstacles to overcome in these new lands. Spain and Portugal’s culture, people, and environment differed
Spain, the third largest country in Europe, has a strong history and diverse culture dating back to when the Iberians first inhabited the land. The country lies between the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean and the land ranges from mountains to meadows. Over hundreds of centuries, many different civilizations have inhabited the land influencing the people there today. From the Visigoths and Celts to the Romans of the Middle Ages, Spain has received a rich history and background. One of the strongest of its cultures is the food. All of these cultures brought a particular type of food and combined and blended with the food that exists there today. Spain is very popular for olives, vineyards, and citrus fruit. Another well-liked food is garlic, including varieties of peppers and spices. Once spice specifically—golden saffron—is essential in many recipes, including the Spanish Paella. There are many distinguished Spanish foods that encompass the daily life and culture of the country.
Geography plays an important role in a countries beliefs, values and activities. “Traditional Spanish cooking has popular roots. It is the people's cuisine. Most of it is down-to-earth, uncomplicated food, based on the ingredients available locally or the crops grown regionally. Mountains run through Spain in several directions, acting as natural barriers to communication and making transportation difficult until the last half of the 20th century. This is just one of the reasons why cooking differs so much from region to region” (Food).