African American Women In Today's Society - Essay Example

African American Women in Today's Society Women face challenges in the society due to various kinds of discrimination. This paper exploresthe challenges African-American women face from a sociological perspective. Life an African American woman in a society that already has a reserved mindset about the gender roles of women is difficult and limiting. There are not as many fair chances for women to pursue their ambitions as they would like. There is a common perception as top what they are supposed to do. This includes raising children, cleaning and serving men in a reduced capacity. There are structural factors in the settings that African American women live in that suppress their gender identity and body consciousness. These factors influence their self-sociology and consequently affect their mentality. Based on what they have seen over time, older African American women have an idea what it will be like for a young black woman growing up. They are in a position to hint on what the society thinks of them and the roles designated to them based on the sexism in the society. There are conflicts between the social ideals of African American women. The conflicts suppress their development as members of the society. Generally, they make life difficult for them since they have no complete control over their actions and responsibilities. The life of an African-American woman in the American society has always been a constant struggle. Other members of the society, driven by their racial inclination and sex have liked down on women of color. The retrogressive mindset has made it difficult for African American women to stake their claims in the society while seeking employment and creating an upright identity (Lerner, 1972). I was raised by my grandmother who has to face increased social alienation of black women at the time. The social perception was that black women were to remain home, raise children and do the housework.Taking care of their families was their main work as opposed to seeking high-quality education, and connection to acquire good jobs. Pursuing a career was a man thing and for that matter, white men were the ones supposed to get the top careers.Patricia Hill Collins, the former president of American Sociological Association asserts that she went through harassment as an African American women climbing up the ladders of the corporate world. Her daily tribulations entailed being constantly reminded that being an African American woman working her way to a career did not fit her and she was not made for it("American Sociological Association: Patricia Hill Collins," n.d.). It was meant to keep her quite discourage her. Like Collins, My grandmother had encountered the social disapproval of African American women doing anything other than family and housework. She would not get amused when I told her that I wanted to become a reputable lawyer. She envisioned the struggles ahead and would claim that it would be an uphill task, and the possibility of my dream not materializing was there dues to the societal constraints curtailing advancement of AfricanAmerican women. Somehow, it was a way of preparing me to face the realities such that I would not be surprised by the hurt and rejection I faced in my life as an African American woman. The common perception as to what the roles of African American women ought to do come from the interpretation of sex and gender. While sex refers to the biological differences that separatea man and a woman, they play a part is influencing their gender roles. The sex differentiation follows two perspectives-primary sex characteristics and secondary sex characteristics. The primary sex characteristics are those physical attributes that separate women from men and they exist from birth while secondary sex characteristics emerge from a certain age such as puberty. What the society characterizes as feminine or masculine is the gender definition. While sex definition is the same in many societies, gender roles vary across cultures (Kendall, 2007).Gender roles refer to the attributes such as values, behaviors and motives that a society labels as appropriate for females and males. The femininity of African American women is associated with taking the backs seat from all that has beendefined as masculine such as getting jobs, voicing opinions in public and seeking equality. The gender roles of African American women have been slapped on them. Due to the limitations they face, African American women are not given the chance to experience their gender identity (Lerner, 1972). Gender identity refers to one's sense of male or female attributes. It is the trait that gives a person fulfillment from doing what he or she intends. The body consciousness of an individual is not advocated in presence of societal limitations.Unfortunately, the gender identity of African American women is surprised. The media does not do much to help the situation. Popular rap songs and other entertainment avenues spread and insist on portraying the negative societal view of women roles. Of main concern is the portrayal of young African American women as sex objects and subjects of manipulation by men. This amounts to sexism- stereotyping of women. Sexism is a challenge that does not allow women to get equal treatment in job acquisition. It was hard, and still hard, for women, especially African American women to get military jobs and climb the ladder to acquire top ranks. Division of labor, not only in the military but also in many corporates is predetermined with women taking up the less demanding and less decisive roles. Theirs’are mainly support roles while men take up the decision-making roles. The stereotyping follows that women are poor decision makers compared to men. Another reason for discrimination of African-American is based on their sexual orientation. Having a sexual orientation that is commonly considered a deviation from the norm, coupled with racial orientation works against the chances of African American women achieving their goals and ambitions. Eventually, these women self-sociology develops through interaction in the society. My grandmother did not seek emancipation because her interactions did not pursue the same. The structural factors in the society are not geared towards gender identity and body consciousness of African American women. It is evident that the society settings in contrast to the ideals of the social ideals of African American women. The present structural factors limit progress. This makes it hard for African American women to experience life fairly and adequately as they would desire. References American Sociological Association: Patricia Hill Collins. (n.d.). Retrieved December 18, 2014, Kendall, D. (2007). Sociology in Our Times: The Essentials. Belmont: Thomson/Wadsworth. Lerner, G. (1972). Black Women in White America: A Documentary History. New York: Pantheon Books. Read More