Gender roles across racial boundaries

[trenton]

I think this is a very interesting topic and it helps explain why people behave the way they do in different racial and ethnic groups. There are commonly different attitudes about gender roles within these groups and it helps explain the psychological makeup of different people and the expectations they place on others.

I started exploring this topic because I noticed how black women seem to be more tough, independent, assertive, and generally more masculine than white women. White women tend to be more soft, reliant, submissive, giggly, and generally more feminine than black women. Why does this happen?

The imbalance in masculinity and femininity in blacks started during slavery. Slave owners wanted to control slaves by keeping them more feminine. This was done by removing the strongest male who would be the protector. Single motherhood was therefore common in black women, and the goal was to make male slaves more feminine as well. This was part of a deep psychological manipulation of black people to control them and allowing the slave owner to dominate the masculine qualities, thus discouraging them from standing up for themselves.

Today the black community is generally more masculine. this includes the appeal to the thug life because it is part of a stronger desire for independence, thus influencing rap music in the black community. This is part of the backlash from the original imbalance created by slavery and the increased masculinity attempts to compensate for the heritage being stripped away. Single motherhood was still common in black women and they were forced to adopt more masculine qualities by being strong and independent. Ultimately, black women had to embody masculinity, but white women evolved differently.

White women rejected traditional gender roles with the feminist movement. This was done for the sake of being equal and allowing women to vote and work for the military. This rejected many of the stereotypes of white women, and has since increased the masculinity of white women.

I could also compare Chinese women to Muslim women. The Chinese women had a stronger pressure to feminine with things like the foot wraps and the facial powder. Meanwhile, Muslim women still have a repressed femininity because of the black dress they wear to minimize the masculine gaze. The imbalance of femininity in these groups are part of different survival strategies. The repression of feminine qualities has ultimately culminated in the feminist uprisings in Iran with women cutting their hair to symbolize a new identity, one of independence.

I find it interesting to compare gender roles across different groups because it helps us understand why they act they say they do. This is important for understanding our collective psychology and our collective ego as well as the value differences between different groups.