Tuesday, April 8, 2008

race, class, gender and women's works

I agree with the author of Race, Gender, and Work on that race, gender, work and even class are inextricably tied. And i also agree that there is no generic gender oppression which is experienced by all women regardless of their ethnicity or class. This can be viewed easily here at Spelman College. Just because we are all women and mostly black does not necessarily mean we all share the same experiences. Our class, cultures, ethnicity, and even region play major roles in our experiences as women. As the author stated, "one cannot assume, as do many feminist theorists and activists, that all women have the same experience of gender oppression-or even that they will be on the same side of a struggle, not even when some women define that struggle as "feminist." Therefore, I believe there is a need for an all encompassing movement or multiple parallel movements to serve the needs of all women and accomodate the vast differences.
I enjoyed how the author reinforced the connection between race, gender, class and ethnicity by starting off each section saying that each component is important separately but cannot be fully understood or explained without incorporating the other components. It is virtually impossible to attain radical social transformation without acknowledging nad accomodating the various differences amongst women.

2 comments:

IdiStar said...

It's interesting because a lot of people feel that just because most of us at Spelman are Black means that we are just alike, but they have to understand that there are differences withing groups such as gender, race, and class. Everyone has a different experience.

kaylaboh said...

I feel like this falls into the same idea of categorizing people. We always try to group what we can not understand or bother to get to know. I feel as though by grouping black women, or women period, it makes our problems less severe. That way it is easier for people try to "address," or solve, by putting us all together.