Week 2- Andean Women

Before colonization, women were treated with much more respect in the cultures of Natives of the Andes. Both males and females had their own roles in society. They were not compared to make one more important or stronger than the other. Many examples were given in the readings and in class about the power women held in these societies, such as the passing of surnames from one gender parent to the same gender child, inheritance of land, etc. They were also sexually equal. Things changed when Europeans arrived on their shores though.

The treatment of women around the time of colonization was discussed in class this week. What most people learn in school is just that the Spanish came to the Americas and brought along their religion and customs. They imposed these things on the Native peoples of America, and it was supposedly better for everyone in the end. However, many horrible, even inhumane, acts were committed by the conquistadores. The native women were often raped and taken from their tribes. They were seen as below human because they were not “civilized”. But who were the “civilized” people in this situation? Obviously the Spanish could not have been. These things were happening all over the New World by all countries who were exploring and claiming the lands of the natives. The Portuguese were also very guilty of performing such acts in what is now Brazil. Not only were the women treated horribly, but the men were too. They were killed or enslaved, neither of which were good options.

The question of coercion was brought up in class. I believe women were coerced by the Spanish from the beginning. They were forced into doing things they did not always want to do and if they did not do these things, they faced severe consequences. So it is obvious that they were coerced. The Incan men were fading fast because of disease, murder, and enslavement. Women often had to marry Spanish men just because there was no other choice but to stay single and support themselves, which was near impossible given the status of women in society and the jobs they were allowed to have.

It seems to me that the Native societies were much more advanced morally than the Europeans were. The Europeans may have been more advanced as far as technology is concerned, but issue of equality between males and females remained a problem in Western culture until the early 20^th century, and is still problematic today. These early Andean societies had already figured out that all people were equal and should be treated that way. It is unfortunate that women took a step back after the supposedly more advanced society took over the area.

Week 1

The first week of class has sparked my interest in the relationship between gender and sex. I, like many, have never really compared the two. I have always just used them as synonyms for each other. Now I realize that there is more to the concept of gender than just the scientific classification that sex is. Things like the role one plays in society and culture are all a part of gender.

I have been thinking about how much culture has altered the behavior of people these days. In class we were discussing about how humans would naturally act as far as sex is concerned. We mentioned how males must spread their seed. Many males still act upon these desires, but not all. Some have been so affected by their culture, religion, and morals that they try to commit to just one mate and stick with her for life. This is not the way things should be in terms of biology. The same goes for females. Females are supposed to want to stick to one mate for protection while she raises the children. However, females today do not always stick to this. The effect culture has on people is profound and often it goes without anyone questioning it. This can be applied to a multitude of different topics, such as drug and alcohol use. Society tells us it is wrong, but is it really? One should take everything in moderation.

I wrote a paper on the effects of “choosing” a sex for children born with ambiguous genitalia a few years ago. Doing this has horrifying psychological effects on a person. Whenever they find out what has been done to them, it is very difficult to deal with. Suicide is a result in an astounding number of these cases. But what are the parents to do when their child is born this way? Society forces people to choose one of two genders. The child will never be accepted as a hermaphrodite by its peers. In western culture, a child must grow up male or female, so parents have to make the difficult decision to choose genders. This is an awful situation because of the pressures of society. Either way, the child is going to have issues in its life.

Often times I feel like the world would be a better place without a society that demands all people to be “normal”. The cross burning in the yard of the homosexual that lived with his mother that we discussed is just ridiculous. The man had never caused any harm to anyone in the area, yet was persecuted because of his sexual orientation. I believe that things are getting better and people are becoming more tolerant, but there are still those who perform acts like this that make themselves look stupid and close-minded. I hope my generation can get over issues like race, sexual orientation, and religion and just be tolerant of everyone.