The discourse on male marginalization follows the trajectory of most discussions on gender issues. It is argued to be a legacy of colonial slavery where the gender relations of Black men in the New World have been reconfigured. Christine Barrow (2001) stated that “structural functionalists stereotyped the man in the family as ‘marginal’ that is, ‘he associates relatively infrequently with the other members of the group, and is on the fringe of the effective ties which bind the group together…In the circumstances of job insecurity, high unemployment and migration among men and low social and racial status, black, lower-class men were unable to fulfill their functions as husbands and fathers”.
Historically, plantation life never accommodated …show more content…
From the days of enslavement up to the present day, the gender systems have been redefined by the society and what is expected of a woman, and what is expected of a man. The legacies of slavery also showed that black men were not allowed to participate in the lives of their children, and the effects of that can be seen today where a weakened black family emerged from slavery. The destruction of the family unit through the slave master’s intrusive sexual exploitation of women and the lack of participation of black men in the lives of their children helped to deny the identities of black people in the New World. Also after colonialism, education was highly promoted so women got an opportunity to become educated and were no longer housewives but rather began to claim their place in society. Post-colonial societies in the New World helped to shape ideas of masculinity and femininity, and the respective roles of the genders. Therefore, it is important that people have a vast understanding of the impact of colonial slavery on gender relations so that a more complex narrative can be told about the New
Historically, plantation life never accommodated …show more content…
From the days of enslavement up to the present day, the gender systems have been redefined by the society and what is expected of a woman, and what is expected of a man. The legacies of slavery also showed that black men were not allowed to participate in the lives of their children, and the effects of that can be seen today where a weakened black family emerged from slavery. The destruction of the family unit through the slave master’s intrusive sexual exploitation of women and the lack of participation of black men in the lives of their children helped to deny the identities of black people in the New World. Also after colonialism, education was highly promoted so women got an opportunity to become educated and were no longer housewives but rather began to claim their place in society. Post-colonial societies in the New World helped to shape ideas of masculinity and femininity, and the respective roles of the genders. Therefore, it is important that people have a vast understanding of the impact of colonial slavery on gender relations so that a more complex narrative can be told about the New