Traditional gender dynamics in narcotrafficking families pressure men to conform to masculine roles of power, provision, and legacy, often leading them to engage in illegal activities, face violence, and perpetuate cycles of crime. These expectations can hinder emotional expression and isolate them from support.

How Traditional Gender Dynamics in Families Affect Men in Narco-Involved Households

Traditional gender roles, especially within patriarchal cultures, have long dictated how masculinity and male identity are performed and perceived within families. In the context of narco-involved households—where criminal economies often replace formal institutions—these gender dynamics become even more rigid and consequential. For men in such families, traditional roles are not only reinforced but militarized, contributing to a cycle of hypermasculinity, silence, and emotional suppression.

In narco cultures, men are often expected to embody dominance, fearlessness, and control—values that align with both machismo and the survivalist logic of the drug trade. Young boys in these households are frequently socialized to view violence as a legitimate form of power, while emotional vulnerability is stigmatized as weakness. These men are not only participants in narco-operations but also products of a familial structure where their gender identity is inextricably tied to toughness, loyalty, and the rejection of alternative life paths.

This dynamic creates psychological and social pressure. Men may feel trapped—expected to continue the legacy, protect the family "name," or avenge perceived betrayals, even if they wish to exit the cycle. In many narco families, rejecting this pathway can be interpreted as betrayal or cowardice. As such, traditional gender norms serve as both a source of identity and a cage, especially for second- and third-generation males.

Research in this field includes:

• Howard Campbell’s Drug War Zone (2009), which explores the narco culture along the U.S.-Mexico border, touching on gendered expectations in narco communities.
• Melissa W. Wright’s work on feminicide and narco economies in Ciudad Juárez, which indirectly addresses male roles by contrasting them with female victimization.
• Guillermina Seri has discussed state complicity and gender dynamics in narco states, providing insights on institutional gender performance.
• The concept of “narco-masculinity” appears in recent criminological and sociological literature, including studies by Wil G. Pansters, especially in Violence, Coercion, and State-Making in Twentieth-Century Mexico(2012).

Your research could meaningfully explore how men negotiate these identities—are they coerced into roles, or do they actively seek them as a form of social mobility or protection? Do they experience internal conflict? How do they reconcile private selves with public expectations?

Suggested Theoretical Lenses:

• Hegemonic masculinity (Connell, 1995)
• Social learning theory (Bandura)
• Critical criminology
• Intersectionality (gender + class + criminal economies)