Gender and Power in Everyday Life

Gender and Sexuality ANTH 2301 Gender and Power in Everyday Life Gender scholars of the modern era give scant attention to theoretical arguments concerning the antecedents of patriarchy or the potential presence of early matriarchy. Cultural anthropologists, on the other hand, are more concerned in how individuals engage with the systematised gender practices and cultural norms inside their society. Gender is pervasive in culture, being ingrained in familial networks, means of sustenance, political involvement and leadership, legislation, religion, and health. Anthropologists investigate how individuals navigate these gendered spaces on a daily basis. They look at how gendered institutions influence identities and potential and how individuals fight against and occasionally overcome gendered expectations. When examining women in patriarchal societies, cultural anthropologists draw attention to the variety of experiences that women have as well as the ways in which they choose to voice their opinions when faced with challenging situations. Allison Heller (2019), in her investigation of the issue of fistula among women in Niger, examines the ways in which women negotiate gendered spaces while managing a crippling reproductive ailment. The rupture of the tissues separating the bladder and vagina occurs during childbirth and is known as an obstetric fistula. This condition frequently results in persistent incontinence, or uncontrollably urinating. Fistulas disproportionately afflict women in rural and impoverished areas, who often give birth without expert medical care. They are often the result of lengthy or obstructed labour. Many women with fistulas experience stigma because of the incontinence, discomfort, and reproductive difficulties associated with the illness. Many international rescue and assistance organisations portray these women as fistula victims who have been shunned by their spouses and shunned by their communities. This oversimplified image is complicated by Heller's ethnography. Heller observed via interviewing women who had fistula that relationships and family structures had a significant impact on how these women experienced their fistula and the therapies that were accessible to them. These ladies seek the advocacy and support of their moms throughout social and medical crises. In circumstances of difficult labour, mothers may urge that their daughters be sent to the hospital, which can avoid or lessen the severity of fistula. In an effort to lessen the stigma associated with fistula and to foster understanding and acceptance, mothers may also serve as a point of contact for women with their neighbours and relatives. Heller also discovered that a woman's experience with a fistula was conditioned by marriage. A woman whose family supported her marriage was more likely to obtain support from her extended family, regardless of whether it was an arranged marriage or a marriage "for love." After acquiring a fistula, women who had solid ties with their spouses were far less likely to face rejection from them. Heller also trailed women into the specialty clinics for surgical repair and fistula treatment. Women with minor fistulas sometimes get surgery first because of the higher chance of successful results, which seems like a highly unjust approach. When a woman has a serious fistula, she may have to wait months for her initial operation before having further, frequently failed procedures. The likelihood that the women's support systems would deteriorate or fail increased with the length of time they waited. Gender anthropologists of today investigate, among many other things, the experiences of women in migration, genocide, religion, and the media. As previously indicated, an increasing amount of research delves into the social construction of masculinity, examining the ways in which men engage with the gendered norms within their respective sociocultural settings. It is easy to think that male privilege structures serve all men equally, with exceptional men benefiting more than others. This theory has been complicated by researchers that examine masculinity in cross-cultural contexts. Daniel Jordan Smith, a cultural anthropologist, investigated the difficulties of projecting a masculine identity among Igbo communities in southeast Nigeria. In his controversial book, To Be a Man Is Not a One-Day Job (2017), Smith shows how gender is portrayed as a lifetime project that men must continuously strive to attain rather than something that is simply assigned at birth. As males learn "to love women and money," the battle for a manly identity starts in childhood and is more intense in secondary school (2017, 30). Since rural boys are frequently sent to towns and cities for their education, learning the skills necessary for urban survival is often a necessary part of the transition from boyhood to manhood. Examples of these skills include figuring out how to make money to pay for consumer goods that elevate their status among peers and facilitate romantic relationships. A young guy is expected to complete his education, get married, have children, and play a part in bigger extended families. A guy is supposed to give his own parent a magnificent burial when he reaches senior status. males pick up these positions mostly from other males in their friendships and mentorships, who serve as mentors and advisors. Money is essential to become a Nigerian guy. Each of the primary indicators of an adult man needs a significant amount of resources. A man cannot marry a wealthy woman or support his children if he does not have money. Men are expected to build riches as adults via lucrative jobs and commercial ventures, which they would subsequently utilise to sustain their growing families and networks of dependents. These are milestones that elite men who subsequently struggle to maintain and create spectacular family homes, afford to send their dependents to private schools, dress their wives in couture, and fund elaborate weddings and burials. These instances show how the cultural anthropology of gender takes into account the circumstances that individuals encounter because of their gender and how they use connections and resources to carry out their duties and occasionally defy gendered expectations.