Traditionally, obedience and respect for authority especially the head of the family, are part of the Latin American’s upbringing. The men work outside of the home while the women care for the home and the children.
Piety, gallantry, respect for parents, and courtesy are carefully cultivated. Courtesy and gallantry are emphasized in courting a girl in
Latin America. In many places the boy still needs the girl’s permission to visit her at her window or the door of her house. If this is granted, he must also secure permission of her parents. When asking for her hand in marriage, his parents or godparents must visit and ask her parents on his behalf. Several visits are required, the last often accompanied by gifts of food and wine.
The girl does not lose her own family name when she marries. If Cecilia Lopez marries Juan Diaz, she becomes Cecilia Lopez de (of) Diaz. Her family name also lives on in her children. Her son Pablo, for example, would be known as Pablo Diaz Lopez.
The status of the woman is improving throughout Latin America. Improvement varies from country to country and class to class. But more women are now engaged in careers in government, science, diplomacy, and business than ever before.