Gendered racism

Social psychologist Philomena Essed coined the term “gendered racism” to refer to the way that sexism and racism interact to subordinate minority-group women. Scholars sometimes refer to minority women as a “double minority” because they are affected by cultural definitions of gender that vary by race or ethnicity. Historically, White people have defined African American women, for example, as “Aunt Jemima,” the overweight, subservient maid or housekeeper; or as a sexual object, to be used by men and then discarded; or as “beasts of burden.” These negative images, like those for other minority women, can be traced to the historical exploitative relationship not only between White people and minority groups but also between men and women. Gendered racism has implications for minority women by restricting their access to education, limiting their occupational options, restricting their income to minimum or below-minimum wages, and making it difficult for minority families to escape poverty. Consequently, minority women lag behind White women and men of all racial and ethnic groups in terms of political, economic, cultural, and social positions.

Gendered racism can also have dire health effects for women of color. Studies have shown that women of color experience different effects from chronic stress. A 2006 study demonstrated that Black women had the highest chronic stress load compared to Black men, White men, and White women. The results of these high-stress loads put Black women at greater risk for poor health outcomes. Similarly, in healthcare, gendered racism has created differences in pregnancy stress and outcomes for women of color compared to their White counterparts. The higher maternal mortality rates for Black and Indigenous women in the United States have been brought to national attention as a public health crisis, and the American Medical Association (AMA) identified one of the major contributing factors as racism and unconscious bias in the medical field. Gendered racism has far-reaching effects and adverse health effects for women.

Bibliography

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