Race, Sex and Feminist Outlooks

(1983) - H. Edward Ransford, Jon Miller

Journal: American Sociological Review
Link:: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2095144?origin=crossref
DOI:: 10.2307/2095144
Links::
Tags:: #paper #Gender #Ethnicity
Cite Key:: [@Ransford1983]

Abstract

From a national NORC sample, two hypotheses are tested that link combinations of race and gender with sex-role outlooks: 1) black males will be more sex-role traditional in outlook than white males and 2) black females will be more sex-role feminist than white females. These hypotheses are developed from a multiple hierarchy approach to stratification: intersections of race and gender create unique social aggregates, the life chances and experiences of which assume patterns that cannot be anticipated by simply adding the effects of race to those of gender. It is found that black males are more traditional in sex-role outlook than white males, especially so among those identifying themselves as middle class. However, black females are not consistently more feminist in sex-role outlook than white females. Interpretations for these findings are discussed.

Notes

“It is hypothesized that black females will be more sex-role feminist in outlook than white females and that black males will be more sexrole traditional in outlook than white males. A multiple hierarchy stratification approach provides a general conceptual background for these expectations (Jeffries and Ransford, 1980; Lenski, 1966; Gordon, 1964). According to this view, socioeconomic status, ethnicity/ race and gender are somewhat separate hierarchies, each affecting the distribution of power, privilege and prestige.” (Ransford and Miller, 1983, p. 46)

“Historically, American plantation slavery made no distinction between the work roles of men and women” (Ransford and Miller, 1983, p. 47)

“Ghetto life requires a special kind of sexrole socialization that emphasizes indepen” (Ransford and Miller, 1983, p. 47)

“dence and self-reliance for black women” (Ransford and Miller, 1983, p. 47)

“The form of the interaction effect involving subjective class identification runs contrary to Hannerz's ghetto-specific masculinity thesis” (Ransford and Miller, 1983, p. 56)

“The finding that black females are by and large no more feminist in outlook than white females may mean that the black self-sufficiencyindependence thesis (Ladner, 1971) has been overstated, at least for the period of the 1970s covered by the present data when many white women may have experienced less traditional sex-role training” (Ransford and Miller, 1983, p. 57)