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Gender in the understanding of Black history

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The study of gender and gender roles has been dominating the history of blacks for decades.

According to (Scott, Joan Wallach 1988), the term gender and sex has always been

confused and used interchangeably. However, the two terms define different concepts, and

they are in no way interchangeable. Sex refers to the biological differences that determine

whether a person is a male or female. In contrast, gender refers to the meanings that

individuals and societies ascribe to female and male categories. Also, the term gender roles

define the behaviours that are taken to be appropriate for men and women. Gender roles

are social constructs and therefore contain self-concepts, family, psychological traits and

political roles that are assigned to a particular sex. The gender structural theory postulates

that for a society to maintain itself, each sex must have jobs and roles that will perpetuate

the society and keep it functioning effectively.

On the other hand, symbolic interaction theory argues that gender is a strict social

construction that is based on society’s confines of feminine and masculine different roles

that are passed on and reinforced by different mechanisms in the society. Therefore, gender

role is the process of socialization which is long life through which individuals learn their

origin, culture, develop their potential and finally become functioning members of the

society. Social roles are subject to change depending on the environment. To understand

the history of a society, gender studies becomes a pivot that explains how change has been

a process. Gender is an important aspect that can be used to understand the history of a

society. This essay will focus on analyzing how gender has been used to understand the
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history of black and their social constructs. The struggles made and the role of women in the

fight for gender equality can be termed as redefining gender roles.

According to Zora Neale Hurston and Alice Walker, being a woman in the twentieth

century was extraordinarily tough. African-American women were misunderstood for

everything because of their gender, ethnicity, and social level. However, they discovered

creativity and used it in their unique ways to communicate their feelings about the social

difficulties they faced as women.  Black history cannot be isolated with changing patterns of

gender roles in the 20th century. In this period, women were rising to the realization that

they needed their rights recognized and given equal opportunities like men. Many writers of

the era were putting their minds on papers, and their relentless effort to keep people

informed made the fire of revolution to pop up. Among the authors of the Harlem

Renaissance, Zora Neale Hurston's voice was one of the most controversial and innovative.

Although her work was not received well at that time, it has become a classic of American

literature that explains more of black history. One of the most aspects of Zora Neale

Huston's work that makes it outstanding to date is that apart from focusing on the issue of

racial discrimination and racial conflict, she also explicitly traversed the gendered identity of

African American women. She was the first author in America who believed in the power of

Black English vernacular as a language that could be used in literary work. Zora was the

pioneer of establishing the voice of an African American female.

Race and gender have always been the focus of African American writers. Zora, in

her work, has used different narrative devices to bring out the themes of marginalization

and discrimination. Also, Zora has exposed the sexual, racial, and empowerment issues of

women artists. The questioning of gender boundaries, the transgression of traditional

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gender roles, and the concern of gender boundaries are crucial in Alice and Zora’s

narratives. Each narrative demonstrates that women in the twentieth century face

challenges, as evidenced by Alice and Zora Neale Hurston's testimonials in their stories.

Gender discrimination has been around for a long time and has significantly impacted

women's lives. Due to gender discrimination and preconceptions, women in the 1900s were

constrained in their ability to express their creativity. Gender discrimination is an unfair

treatment based on a person's sex (Collins, Patricia Hill 2004). While most gender

discrimination is directed toward women, Women also had fought against this issue and

made it a movement in the early 1900s. In "In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens," Alice

Walker and Zora Neale Hurston explore women's lives in the twentieth century and how

their gender, ethnicity, and class motivated them to discover their inner creativity and self-

actualization.

"Women's suffrage was a pivotal moment in the battle for equality, but in 1918

women still faced many forms of discrimination. While 8.4 million women gaining the vote

in 1918 represented significant progress for the feminist movement, gender inequality was

still prevalent in the era and beyond" (Molloy, Johnson, and Lyons.) Mark Molloy, Jamie

Johnson, and Izzy Lyons came together to portray the discrimination women faced in the

20th century, such as gender inequality. We won't just talk about gender inequality; we'll

also talk about how difficult it is to be a woman of colour (Emmanuel, Karen D2014). Being a

person of colour during slavery and Jim Crow meant being a member of the lower class due

to the limited opportunities available. "I clarify the process by which such movements

transform social structures and the constraints these women face when they try to restore

their fractured lives. But the black woman being pragmatic continue coping, living, and

forging ahead because the burden they carry is not just the black men, but their children,
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and their future" (Emmanuel, Karen D.) Women of colour had it worse, for they were limited

in expressing themselves and receiving specific opportunities. The Telegraph shares a few of

the constraints that women had in the early 1900s, saying, "Many laws and societal

attitudes meant women faced barriers and prejudice throughout society - in work,

education, and marriage. In 1918, women could not inherit property on the same terms as

men. The Law of Property Act 1922 changed that and meant a husband and wife could

inherit each other's property." (Molloy, Johnson, and Lyons.)

From this evidence sharing the unfair limitations women were forced to comply

with, I can understand why women were fearful of expressing their ability and blinded in

coming to their true selves and fighting against gender discrimination. The culture's position

placed women needed an extraordinary woman to stand up and remain firm. Zora Neale is

one woman whose movement marked the beginning of a journey that saw women's

liberation from agonizing cultural beliefs. The books by these two great women writers were

meant to shed light on women and fuel the fire of women liberation. The books also put

society at a check by showing that discrimination is societal and the roots are within the

beliefs that need to be uprooted.

Throughout this world's history, we have faced gender discrimination placed upon

women, limiting abilities. Zora Neale Hurston in "Sweat" and Alice Walker in "In Search of

Our Mothers' Gardens" share women's hardships regarding gender, class, and ethnicity

(Carney, Ceinwen Lois1989). "Sweat" shares the story of Delia Jones’s discovery of women

empowerment as she leaves the situation she's in with her abusive husband. Alice Walker in

"In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens" touches on her self-actualization and creativity she

discovers as she looks for a haven from her reality which is being a coloured woman in a
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society based on racial and gender discrimination. We agree that each story encourages

women to stay headstrong and fight for their rights. Both stories share the gender, class,

and racial issues these women face and how they overcame these social issues. The 20th

century was hard to live in, especially if you're a woman and black. Society of that time has

tried to blind women to prevent them from being successful and headstrong. Zora Neale

Hurston and Alice Walker proved that you can be a woman and still be a defender of women

rights and remain uncompromising. The history of the African American woman can be

recounted through the work of writers like Alice and Zora Neale Hurston. The relentless

effort of Zora information of Women movements marked the beginning of the liberation of

women, which is being enjoyed up to date. The written works will serve as history to the

generations to come so that they can understand the sacrifice that was made for them to

enjoy their rights.

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References

Barrett & Farahany LLP.2016. The Negative Effects of Gender Discrimination. The Barrett
& Farahany LLP Justice at Work.
https://www.justiceatwork.com/resources/2016/november/the-negative-effects-of-
gender-discrimination  
Carney, Ceinwen Lois.1989. Alice Walker's" In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens": Reading
from a Womanist Perspective. University of California, Berkeley.
https://t.co/Y6FTdKt3PN
Collins, P. H. (2004). Black sexual politics: African Americans, gender, and the new racism.
Routledge.https://books.google.com/books?
hl=en&lr=&id=feOSAgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=+gender+in+history+of+African+Americ
ans&ots=O_oq8QuSb2&sig=mK-UowkrEVRne0ydRP_1L1ubMbc

Emmanuel, K. D. (2014). The Struggles Within A Society Were Black Women Suffer Racism, Sexism,
and Violence.  https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?
article=1223&context=cc_etds_theses

Johnson, Jamie, Lyons, Izzy, and Molly, Mark. 1918 vs 2018.: 13 things women couldn’t do
100 years ago. The Telegraph.   
 https://www.michigan.gov/documents/lara/State_Only_Child_Care_Homes_and_Center_545187_7.pdf
Scott, Joan Wallach;1988. Gender and the Politics of History. Columbia University Press.
https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.7312/scot91266/html