Mexico Is Trying to Tame Its Machos

where if you weren’t violent with others, you were a victim of it,” he said.

Women have made gains in elected office in Mexico, in part because of measures ensuring their participation. A 2014 law requires that half of the candidates fielded by a political party in federal or state legislative elections be women.

And a decade ago, the Mexican Congress passed a law that outlined a legal framework for all levels of government to prevent, address and punish gender-based violence.

But Gloria Careaga, a professor in gender studies at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, said that as roles began to shift, the tension drove many men to violence.

But old habits die hard. “It is very convenient and comfortable to be a man in Mexico; it comes with great benefits,” said Mr. Vargas. “It is not easy to renounce privilege.”

The National Citizens Femicide Observatory, a coalition of human rights and women’s groups in Mexico that studies violence against women, reported that annual female ho- micide numbers more than doubled between 2007 and 2015, from 1,086 to 2,555.

Last year, Mexicans in many cities took to the streets in the first nationally coordinated demonstration against machismo and violence against women.

Tecate, a popular beer brand, ran an ad declaring: “If you don’t respect women, Tecate is not for you.”

The men in the Gendes group therapy sessions have struggled to acknowledge, understand and change their behavior.

During a recent session, the men stared at the floor. The conversation was punctuated by deep sighs.

A man named Federico admitted to trying to intimidate his sister by kicking a door and breaking a window. Fabián said he had responded to his girlfriend’s accusations of infidelity by pushing her off their bed. Héctor confessed to grabbing his wife by the arms and demanding that she listen to him.

After the session, Jorge reflected on his progress and the uncertain path that lay ahead.

“The question now is: What else can I do to change?” he said. “Is it actually possible to live without violence? I have hope that it is.”