Race and Gender

Race is a biological meaning, creating division between humankind. This happens when people are called, White, Black, Brown or Asian. Gender is the attribute that is given to males and females to distinguish between the two categories. Both race and gender are socially constructed. Race and gender intersect in the formation of identities in which race they fit in and what gender they fit in. There are ways to get out of dominate racial roles simply by educating people, but there are also ways to avoid gender roles, because even though times have changed of what is “perceived” of what should be done by males and what should be done by females; they still revert into their original positions of being a man and being a woman.

Race is the division of humankind, it is used to give the biological meaning which means, that it gives individuals physical divisions that are hereditary, and that are captured by terms such as Black, White, Brown, and Asian. Each race is given physical and distinct characteristics, to go along with that specific group, meaning that each group possesses a certain type of characteristics or abilities specific to that race. This can therefore lead into racism. Racism occurs when one race is inferior or superior to another race or races. According to Time Wise “Society puts out the message that black folks are violent, and dangerous, and tough, and to be feared, many whites and many blacks will come to accept those messages, and the necessary flipside: that whites are passive and not to be feared.”(Wise, August 12, 2011) – meaning that blacks are superior over white people. This is then perceived to black people that white people are “easy targets”.

Gender is what is “normal” between the two categories of male and female and what is valued and acceptable in a man or a woman in a given circumstance. It is something that we do, which is something that is determined by our actions and behaviours to differentiate male and female attitudes,