Honduras

The Republic of Honduras is located in Central America. Most of the population is mestizo. The predominant culture is Hispanic although there are also sizeable indigenous Afro-Honduran and Arab-Honduran groups. The predominant religion is Roman Catholic. The social concept of machismo, emphasizing male dominance and virility, and marianismo, emphasizing female purity, are common in Hispanic cultures. These attitudes limit political and economic [Page 720]opportunities for women and encourage high rates of domestic violence. Women's opportunities are also limited by high poverty levels. Honduras ranked 62nd of 134 countries in the World Economic Forum's 2009 Global Gender Gap Report.

Protestors were divided after the 2009 military coup that ousted Honduran president Manuel Zelaya in Honduras.

Common-law, civil, and church marriages are all practiced. Newlyweds each take both surnames as their new family name. Most marriages are monogamous, although a small percentage of wealthy men maintain a separate household with another woman. There is social stigma placed upon divorce but women have equal legal rights during divorce. The 2009 fertility rate was 3.3 births per woman. Skilled healthcare practitioners attend 67 percent of births. The 2009 infant mortality rate was 23 per 1,000 live births and the maternal mortality rate was 280 per 100,000 live births. The state social security system and employers provide women with 10 weeks of paid maternity leave.

Many young urban couples live with their parents until they can afford a separate household, ideally located nearby. Both genders increasingly share in household decision making and many middle-and upper-class wives utilize domestic servants.

Discipline of children tends to be stricter in rural areas. Female school attendance rates stand at 94 percent at the primary level but only 20 percent at the tertiary level, largely because of an inability to afford higher education. The 2009 literacy rates for females and males are almost identical, at 83 percent and 82 percent respectively. Problems include strained ethnic relations, high domestic violence rates, economic crimes, youth street gangs, and lack of affordable and accessible healthcare for poor and rural populations.