Supporting Diveristy in Multiple Aspects of Womanhood
As Feminists we can agree on the idea of equality, but we are struggling to understand the gap in identity that society has already created among us.
A woman’s identity exists beyond her identity as a mother, or person of color. Defining equality for all women begins with re-evaluating our identity, starting in the home. We must remember that our identity as a woman can vary depending upon the difference in the experiences and oppressions that we face. While feminists unite under the common goal of equality for all genders, white feminism does not include the fight to overcome the inequality created by race. Basically, white women have less opression to defeat in order to be equal to the dominating white male; only black women understand the weight of the massive oppression when race, gender, and class are combined.
Patriarchy leaks into every part of our society and defines the roles we must play in order to be valued as a human, and a woman. A major role expected of women of women to play is that of motherhood, not only to develop the relationship with her child but to prove her identity as a woman. Some women do not seek that relationship but are forced by society to accept motherhood, while other women desperately want a child but are told by society that they are unfit. For some women, the responsibility of raising a child limits their creativity and further surpresses them into patriarchal control while other women relish in the opportunity to bring up a new generation of social activists to end the cycle. In the nature of patriarchy, mothers are only valued when “attached to a legal father”. So the acceptable norms of something that can only be performed by women are still defined by men. It is our job as women to defy those norms and create a tolerant environment your social expectations and identity are defined by neither gender nor race. Even when there is a lack of a father, we should focus even more on the significance of the woman who makes up for that.
Patriarchy doesn’t disappear once a woman gets home, the mentality infultrates the family unless the cycle is stopped. If a child sees or experiences violence as the way to deal with a frustrating situations, he or she will continue to promote and participate in violence to subordinate others. Patriarchal violence is based on the idea that a dominating, more powerful individual has the right to control and coerce others… Most women believe, and therefore teach their children, that the person in the position of authority can and should use force to maintain their power.
The way we allow white women to be mothers is much different than Black women, evident through history. White mothers are praised for continuing on their line of the pure, white race. Black mothers have often been discouraged from procreating, stemming from the story of slavewoman Jezebel which created the image of Black women as unfit mothers and condoning the sexual abuse of Black women (an example of patriarchal violence). This is dramatically contrasts with the image of “Mammy”: the Black caretaker of white children, who devoted everything to the white children but had no right to bear her own and was given nothing in return. Even today, the prejudice of Black mothers being unfit or untraditional still sits in the minds of many who believe themselves to be “progressive”. When people see a young, Black mother they assume her to be unmarried, and essentially place the expectation upon her that she will never be a “Good Mother”. Part of the Feminist goal should be challenging the notions of what makes a good woman or a good mother, and never equating the two. We cannot make progress for feminism if we judge other women’s identities as a reflection of their status as mothers.
A Black mother’s experience is very different than a white mother’s. They have more obstacles to overcome in raising a child, and have fears that white women could never share: a world where their babies will be discriminated against no matter their actions. A Black mother often fears the security of her child walking home from school — how can she expect that her child will be viewed equally in the educational and occupational settings?
Black women have been fighting for the equality of Black men and Black women have been fighting for the equality of white women. In a society where every opposition faces them, someone needs to defend the equality of the identity of Black women.
I have always found it a cliche when hearing: “It takes a village to raise a child”; but I have come to understand that this emphasizes the concept that children are often raised by many people from their environment — allowing them to share and be influenced by the ideas of those that are possibly different than them. Letting go of ties to patriarchal norms and setting an example of liberal identity could be a great Feminist goal.
