Otis Vickers-Graver

Key Assignment 3

Examine the concept of gender in at least two of the societies you have studied

Gender is a human universal, but the way it is used and stratified differs from culture to culture. In this essay, I will be comparing this concept of gender mainly in the Puerto Rican Crack Dealers of El Barrio and Traveller Gypsies, with occasional comparison with western society. Gender a person's learned male or femaleness is constructed based on social and cultural ideologies in societies. It seems to perform functions in societies based on sex. For example, in the in the Puerto Rican Crack Dealers of El Barrio (whom I will refer to as 'Puerto Rican'), men are evident in the public sphere, performing jobs affiliated with labour and power in the public sphere. Examples of this are crackdealing and escalating through stages of acceptance such as stealing car radios. Women are more ascendant in the private sphere; providing food and caring for the family at home. However, these binary opposites of sex (man or woman whether a person donates sperm or egg in the act of reproduction) can reciprocate breaking taboos and crossing dangerous but at times rewarding boundaries, which will be discussed later. In all societies, relationships play a fundamental role in the solidarity of the community, and acts in many forms the first being relationships in kin. In Puerto Rican society men prefer to have male children, as they are in fear that females are vulnerable to gang-rape, which as a consequence may weaken their relationship with their daughter compared with their son, as they do not want the responsibility of dealing with what they are actively involved in. Men also have to teach their sons the way of the 'Jbaro', a patriarchal ancestor and an aspirational idol to Puerto Rican men. However, there is no ancestral 'role model' for females. This way that male El Barrio Crack Dealers follow a 'role model' to reinforce and reinstate their purpose and beliefs bears similarities to Traveller Gypsy relationships with Gorgios based on gender. Unlike in Puerto Rican society, women are fairly evident in the Traveller Gypsy public sphere, performing 'natural' jobs such as foraging for food, crafting and selling scavenged (by males) goods to Gorgios. Although Gypsy women may carry out just as much work as men, they are almost entirely responsible for domestic work. This includes child-raising, cooking and cleaning, whereas men are mainly visible in the public sphere, working with

Otis Vickers-Graver

Key Assignment 3

resources and trading. These differences between sex reinforce gender roles in Traveller Gypsy society based on social relationships between men and women. Another form of relationship, which is in fact a human universal is that of sexual relations. The main cause of these relationships is sex whether someone is attracted to a male or female, the main effect being pregnancy, thus introducing new members to a society. This is shown in 'In Search of Respect' with Candy's desire for children. ['I wanted twelve kids; I only got five but I wanted twelve. My husband took out five of them with his punches and beatings'] Candy, In Search of Respect This is a clear example of what could be seen as male jealousy of the female's ability to 'create life', and shows the female passion for family life, creating big families. However, in 'In Search of Respect', Candy endures enough of Primo's abuse, so retaliates and shoots him, hospitalizing him. At this point, Primo was head of the 'Game Room' a key drug dealer. Candy adopts Primo's role as head of the game room and beings to take on masculine jobs in Puerto Rican society, in turn gaining respect, power and revenge. She is less compelled to continue with family life, and becomes promiscuous. This shows that roles is gender are not necessarily fixed, and abilities in each gender are much the same. After Primo returns, his intuition is retake is role as head of game room replenish his 'personal sense of male respect: ['Primo finally rebelled against Candy's inversion of patriarchy. He struggled to recoup his personal sense of male respect by the only means immediately at his disposal: physical violence']. The act of sex is associated with the private sphere, and is part of the 'inside', which is why it is a taboo to discuss it in public in Traveller Gypsy society. During the period of pregnancy, the relationship between two Gypsy partners becomes misogynous, as the pregnant woman is seen as 'dirty', so is separated from the rest of society in a Gorgio hospital, in a liminal state. However, role reversal comes into play here as the partner of the pregnant woman must deliver food (a role previously withheld by the woman), changing the male's guise. Dissimilar to Traveller Gypsies, discussion of sex is less of a taboo in Puerto Rican society gang-rape in particular. It is openly discussed between men in Puerto Rican society, unlike with Traveller Gypsies. This is because gang-rape is less of a private act than 'normal' sexual relationships, as it involves multiple participants, and is forced upon women, making it a moderately social event. From an etic western point of view, gang-rape is frowned upon, and it would be seen as a horrific act. However, in Puerto Rican society it enables men to gain a sense of purpose and belonging in life, which reinforces gender roles and status their culture.

Otis Vickers-Graver

Key Assignment 3

This struggle for male power via the public sphere can be seen as a cultural universal. In Traveller Gypsy society, males exert this power struggle by performing more labourous jobs than women scavenging scrap metal, building and providing income for the family. Although this is very from the way Puerto Rican men exert their power and control, it still performs the same function of reinforcing gender roles in the society. From all of these societies, we can see that although there are vast differences between gender, there are still many universals such as intimacy, violence, love, relationships and general roles. It is used to maintain social order and maintain rules, norms and taboos in societies.