– She argues that patriarchy produces the very behaviors Kinsey measures. The rooster’s aggression is not innate; it is trained. The hen’s submission is not natural; it is enforced through the threat of being “decapitated” (socially annihilated).
Translation is particularly tricky for this poem because Castellanos uses specific Mexican cultural markers (such as the concept of decencia or "decency") that don't have a direct one-to-one equivalent in English. A good translation must capture the "stiff" and "formal" tone of the women while allowing their quiet desperation to bleed through the lines. Why It Matters Today
Kinsey’s data showed that this double standard was not only unfair but factually incorrect—women had desires that matched, and sometimes outpaced, the social structures designed to contain them.
In the context, the most commonly referenced poem is often untitled or listed under the cycle's name. The definitive English translation of Castellanos’ work is primarily the work of Magda Bogin , whose 1988 collection A Rosario Castellanos Reader: An Anthology of Her Poetry, Short Fiction, Essays and Drama (University of Texas Press) brings this poem to English audiences. kinsey report rosario castellanos english
A voice highlights the painful shock of wedding nights, where a lack of sex education transforms intimacy into trauma.
If you need help finding or books analyzing this poem.
When Castellanos was writing in the 1960s and early 1970s, Mexican society was heavily dominated by the dual myths of machismo (hyper-masculinity) and marianismo (the idealization of women as submissive, self-sacrificing, and sexually passive, modeled after the Virgin Mary). Female sexuality was heavily policed, hidden, or denied entirely. – She argues that patriarchy produces the very
For those seeking the poem in English, it is most famously included in collections translated by or Maureen Ahern .
Born in Mexico City in 1925 but raised on a ranch in Chiapas, Rosario Castellanos grew up as an introspective child, painfully aware of the injustices surrounding her. She witnessed the plight of the indigenous Maya people who worked on her family's land and keenly felt the sting of a patriarchal society that valued sons over daughters. A profound experience in her childhood—a fortune teller’s prediction that one of her mother’s two children would die, to which her mother cried out, "Not the boy!"—left an indelible mark on Castellanos, shaping her lifelong critique of gender preference and male dominance.
Mid-century Mexico was governed by deep-seated codes of machismo and marianismo (the idealization of women as pure, self-sacrificing, and asexual mothers). Sexuality was not a matter of public data; it was a matter of religious dogma, family honor, and absolute silence. Translation is particularly tricky for this poem because
While the Kinsey Report used data and statistics, Rosario Castellanos used prose and irony to explore the same truths. She recognized that the "sexual revolution" promised by Kinsey was often a hollow victory for women in traditional societies unless accompanied by intellectual and domestic liberation. 1. The Myth of "The Ideal Woman"
The poem has been adapted into a musical titled Rosario Castellanos Musical , which uses humor and a 1950s "girl group" aesthetic to make the themes of sexual frustration and social repression accessible to modern audiences.
While Castellanos rarely quotes scientific papers directly within her fiction, her characters often embody the liberation from sexual ignorance that the Kinsey Reports advocated for.