Gendered racism

Gendered racism is a form of oppression that occurs due to race and gender. It is perpetuated due to the prevalence of perceptions, stereotypes, and images of certain groups. Racism functions as a way to distinguish races as inferior or superior to one another. "Sexism" is defined as prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination on the basis of sex. Gendered racism differs in that it pertains specifically to racial and ethnic understandings of masculinity and femininity, as well as along gendered forms of race and ethnic discrimination.

Trans march with banner reading "Collective feminist revolutionaries against all hetrocissexist and racist violence" from Paris, 2017

Fundamentally, age, class, and gender are intersecting categories of experience that affect all aspects of human life. Thus, they simultaneously structure the experiences of all people in society. At any moment, race, class, or gender may feel more salient or meaningful in a given person's life, but they are overlapping and cumulative in their effects on people's experiences. This emphasizes that it is difficult for an individual to differentiate which aspect of their identity is being attacked. It may be impossible for an individual to assess whether discrimination is due to gender or race. Both of these constructs make up the individual's identity, and they intersect with one another. Because people have intersecting social identities, it is important to focus on how these identities shape an individual's experiences.

Origin

The term gendered racism was originally coined by sociologist Philomena Essed, and refers to the simultaneous experience of both racism and sexism. According to Essed, racism and sexism "intertwine and combine under certain conditions into one hybrid phenomenon".

Coping

As a means of coping, African American women relied heavily on the support of the black community. They also coped by overachieving or being overly successful, and thinking positively. Research demonstrated that the coping mechanisms employed by African American women were not always beneficial because they heightened distress rather than decrease it. Possible ways to cope with gendered racism include education, in which African American women are provided with a space to openly discuss their experiences and develop strategies to better handle situations when they are being discriminated against. Another research experiment was conducted in order to assess how black female college students cope with gendered racial microaggressions. Microaggressions are the everyday verbal, nonverbal, and environmental slights, snubs, or insults, whether intentional or unintentional, which communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative messages to target persons based solely upon their marginalized group membership.

See also

• Racism
• Sexism
• Stereotypes
• Intersectionality
• Misogynoir

References

• Anderson, M.L., & Collins, P.H. (2004). Race, class, and gender: An anthology (5th ed.) Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thompson
• Erving, C.L., Williams, T.R., Frierson, W., & Derisse, M. (2022). Gendered racial microaggressions, psychosocial resources, and depressive symptoms among Black women attending a historically Black university. Society and Mental Health, 12(3), 230–47. https://doi.org/10.1177/21568693221115766
• Essed, P. (1991). Understanding everyday racism: An interdisciplinary theory. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
• Lewis, J., Mendenhall, R., Harwood, S., & Browne Huntt, M. (2013). Coping with Gendered Racial Microaggressions among Black Women College Students. Journal of African American Studies, 17(1), 51–73. doi:10.1007/s12111-012-9219-0
• Thomas, A. J., Witherspoon, K. M., & Speight, S. L. (2008). Gendered racism, psychological distress, and coping styles of African American women. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 14(4), 307.
• Wing Sue, D., & Rivera, D. (2010, November 17). Microaggressions: More than Just Race. Retrieved December 6, 2014, from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/microaggressions-in-everyday-life/201011/microaggressions-more-just-race
• Wingfield, A. H. (2007). The modern mammy and the angry black man: African American professionals' experiences with gendered racism in the workplace. Race, Gender & Class, 196–212.