Boys will be Boys. Will Girls always be Girls?

What is Masculinity
Under patriarchy, men are the arbiters of identity for both males and females because the cultural norm of human identity is, by definition, male identity masculinity. And, under patriarchy, the cultural norm of male identity consists in power, prestige, privilege, and prerogative as over and against the gender class women. That's what masculinity is. (John Stoltenberg in Toward Gender Justice quoted in Clatterbaugh, 1997:41). TRADITIONAL gender politics is overtly subscribed to within a somewhat violent framework in dancehall culture. Its epiphenomena are transmuted through the lyrical representation of what is labelled by 'decent' Jamaican society as 'vulgar', 'slack', anti-homosexual and anti-women or misogynist lyrics. However, based on my research within the cultural space that is dancehall, I argue that these lyrics reveal much more than simply a culture or group actively engaged in the dissemination of violent, antihomosexual, sexually explicit and misogynist lyrics. Indeed, the existence of what has been labelled homophobia, I argue, may be more correctly labelled 'femmephobia', as in Jamaica, this dialogue speaks to some core issues affecting not only the masculine and feminine identities in the dancehall, but also a broader masculine and feminine identity in Jamaica. This paper, will, however, focus on the popularised claim that dancehall culture is misogynistic. Politics of gender In modern societies like Jamaica, gender stratification operates in a framework of patriarchy that can be clearly defined as a system or society reflecting values underpinning the traditional male ideal. It is masculism in a political context and is supported by all the institutions operating within that system or society. One should note here that patriarchy is not only male dominance in its strictest sense, but also a persistent ideology of male super-ordination that both men and women maintain consciously and unconsciously. In this system, both men and women are victims. (Mohammed, 1994). Based on the historical experiences of Caribbean peoples, slavery as a system has been seen as the main social experience on which rests the foundation of contemporary ideologies and relations of society. While other oppressive features may be peculiar to these societies, it is race and class that have been identified as the two dominant factors intersecting with gender. These have been noted in the colonial legacy and, it is argued, still effectively inform contemporary gender relations. Mohammed notes that crucial sites for power struggles in gender relations are generally located in the sphere of sexuality and reproduction and moreso by an analysis of the evolution of relationships at the micro level. Coming out of slavery, indentureship, colonialism and post-colonialism were issues of sexuality and identity that were effectively tied to the race/class (colour) and gender hierarchy. The process, which began around the 16th century, of defining women and non-whites as savage, uncontrollable and uncivilised, provided an opening for the domestication and exploitation of these groups. Within this framework, women and black people were credited with unnatural and insatiable sexual urges that needed the control and guidance of men - originally interpreted as white men. In the Caribbean context of slavery, white men were placed at the helm. Notions of sex and sexuality were effectively created and perpetuated. For example:

 Black women had no morals and were content to breed, dropping children almost at will Black women were strong like animals. They could work in the fields all day and then work in bed all night. Black women had insatiable and unnatural, animal-like sexual urges. Black men were well-endowed, with large penises. Black men did not understand fatherhood in its Euro-centric sense, but preferred to have many women and many children. White women had to be safeguarded from the lusty attentions of black men On the other hand, neither were white men safe from the animal-like lust of black or coloured women, who apparently had some strange hold over them sexually. Black people, men and women, were stereotyped as sexual animals, driven by insatiable sexual desires and in need of constant supervision. In Jamaica today, the operation of gender in a contemporary 'racialised' class system still exists. Concepts of beauty and ugliness, ideas of good speech or bad speech still depend on their closeness to what is a white, Eurocentric ideal. Jamaican women are reminded that beauty, as defined by the Miss Jamaica (World) and Miss Jamaica Universe beauty contests on an annual basis, still rests on a close approximation to the European phenotype, coupled with high social positioning. Where sexuality is concerned, the Madonna/ Whore syndrome is transformed by these additional factors to produce the very race/class influenced 'Ghetto Slam' (ghetto sex) ideology. One obtains a ghetto slam from a 'trang' (strong) black woman from the lower or working class or from the inner city - a black, lower working class phenomenon. This woman is perceived as possessing the physical attributes that make her suitable for engagement in overtly physical displays of sexual activity - large breasts, large posterior, big frame, together with the social positioning that makes her more accessible for use and/or abuse by men. The oftentimes lighter-skinned, more feminine upper/middle class counterpart is perceived as too 'ladylike' and pure for engagement in any overtly physical displays of sexual prowess on the one hand and less accessible on the other. As concepts of beauty consistently strive towards the European ideals of softness, clear skin, soft flowing hair, the 'browning' continues to hold pride of place, with those not so brown 'bleaching' (lower class), using dermatologist-approved skin lighteners, or marrying (middle/upper) into this ideal. Issues of identity are also reflected in statements like "my ooman mus have hair pon har head" (my woman must have hair on her head). A woman who cannot lay claim to the soft, flowing tresses defined as feminine in a Eurocentric context (natural, chemically-altered or extensions) is considered less than feminine by some. In this framework, notions of sexuality also affect Afro-Jamaican men, especially those at the lower socioeconomic levels who have limited access to the symbols of real power. A real man is one who can act as a traditional hunter and provider. He is able to access the symbols of masculinity i.e. wealth and power money, brand-name clothing, flashy cars, beautiful women - with very little effort. For the man who cannot access these symbols, issues of sex and sexuality attain primacy in laying the foundation for definitions of his identity. It may be argued that this phenomenon is a throwback from the freelance stud of the colonial era.Because of their tenuous place in the relationships of production, many black men have little real power over black women. Research in the dancehall shows that the concept of a 'wukka man' (worker man) who have "nuff gyal inna bungle" (many girls in a bundle) is one that is actively subscribed to by men and women who find themselves precariously placed on the edge of the race/class/gender nexus. As the socio-economic tensions deepen, these groupings find themselves with increasingly diminished

access to the traditional and emerging symbols of social mobility and power in Jamaica, including socioeconomic background, education and a white-collar career, among others. For the women, meaningful monogamous relationships are traded for polygamous liaisons with 'powerful' men. Power here is cited, for example, in the man's perceived social status in his community. The resident 'Don' or 'Area Leader' or 'druggist' or deejay are examples of such men. This power is not always only economic, but may also extend to the legitimacy, respect, authority and/or the fear which this man generates, enjoys or invokes in his community or the wider Jamaican society. For the men, other more accessible and ideologically placed sites are utilised.

The roles are changing. It is said that boys must be tuff and play ruff and be the bread winner and girls be soft and refined and the nurturer mother but is that so now? Men becoming homosexuals. All women working and taking on the roles of mommy and daddy.
Arbiter-trendsetter Prerogativ-right -privilege

A) women are taking over in the work place B) women owning things Shift in Gender roles

- In the home: 1) No housewives hence women taking over the workplace. Men dont see need to work and rely on their female counterparts for necessities. Economic need. Recession. Research on single parent home. 2) Putting aside motherhood to improve academic and work prowess. Men want to -