Running Head: HOW DOES COLONIZATION AFFECT THE IDEAS OF GENDER 1

How Does Colonization Affect the Ideas of Gender?

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Running Head: HOW DOES COLONIZATION AFFECTS IDEAS OF GENDER 2

Introduction

The relationship between colonialism and gender is regarded as complex and mutually

impactful. Most colonial theories explain how gender redefined the boundaries and structures of

imperial rule, shaping the ideas of femininity and masculinity. Different aspects of colonialism

are believed to have involved gender and sexuality in different ways that may influence

contemporary realities (Kubota et al., 2020). Colonialism brought so many people to Africa who

never had an African origin. These European men came with particular aspects of gender and

some ideas about women and men's sexual roles. Their ideas were also linked with religious

ideologies whereby all sexualities were regarded as dangerous, and only reproductive sex in non-

polygamous marriage gained the blessing of the colonial gaze. These were some of the effects of

colonization on gender since it led even to the mistreatment of several women in the colonized

countries.

After the arrival of Europeans in Africa in the 15th century, both men and women were

involved in resisting European rule while others collaborated with them. Women were involved

in these activities in different ways. This made them lose power and economic autonomy due to

the arrival of different types of crops, which made women be excluded from the global market.

The introduction of cash crops changed women's agricultural work and control over land. In

some areas, women continued to grow crops for their families (Kubota et al., 2020). Colonization

also influenced the roles of men, whereby they were subjected to work in cotton and tea farms.

Some of the women also moved to urban areas due to the influence castigated by colonizers. The

women were disadvantaged due to colonization because laws have been made based on male

testimony that gave men an advantage over women. Some of the colonial ideologies impacted

the people they engaged with, which led to active policies that changed and controlled sexual
Running Head: HOW DOES COLONIZATION AFFECTS IDEAS OF GENDER 3

cultures and gender norms they encountered. The policies were very clear, and they included

proscriptions against rituals of feminists and masculinity, legislation against polygamy, and

control over women's mobility.

Colonization influenced the language spoken by people of different gender, which led to

the increasing power of the colonial languages over education. The resistance against

colonialism also explained how questions of gender and sexuality could be played out in creating

strategies to undermine and attack the colonial power (Ramirez et al., 2007). Some reforms led to

the formation of guerilla armies which made gender norms change to allow the participation of

women in the guerilla movements. Colonization also impacted the pastoral gender organization,

whereby it provided a fascinating look at how gender and colonial ideologies were constructed.

During this time, it was evident that gender relations were bound up with historical relations of

economic and political dominance (Keskinen et al., 2016). Colonization also gave the elite men

advantage over women on matters of marriage and divorce. The colonists invaded the economy

and land, producing tension between women and their subsequent policies as women's roots

were more deeply entrenched in the society than the Europeans anticipated. The colonial policy

affected and changed the lifestyle of many women within the colonized countries.

During colonization, African women imitated the cultures of the Europeans where they

were responsible for the homes, and they maintained a heavy role in both production and home.

During this time, women were granted different rights from the other gender, whereby they were

entitled to property and inheritance, the right to representation, and the right to discuss political

policies (Keskinen et al., 2016). The colonization eras represented women as unimportant and

men as ungendered due to the colonial encounter. Colonization made women lose their influence

and power when colonialism changed gender relations. In the pre-colonial period, women were
Running Head: HOW DOES COLONIZATION AFFECTS IDEAS OF GENDER 4

considered queen mothers and holders of offices and villages. This changed in post-colonial

Africa, where they were not protected from certain abuses because they did not hold any societal

or political power. The African women became voiceless and were unable to gain economic and

educational quality.

The colonial rules also changed some ideas on gender. This impacted gender organization

among the pastoral communities, where it provided how gender and colonial ideologies were

constructed. It also described how these ideologies were reinforced in areas considered to be

marginalized. It led to the idea that gender relations were bound with historical economic and

political dominance relations, leading to imperialism and capitalism. The colonial social

construction of gender projects was a broader socio, economic and political analysis tool that

shaped the ideas of gender in these areas. The European colonial venture was considered as a

gendered enterprise that thrived on labor forces provided by men. It also influenced the issues of

masculinity, manhood, and the ethos of militarism. Land policies that came up due to

colonialism lowered women's socioeconomic status among the pastoralist communities. There

was gender inequality experienced during the colonial period whereby these communities who

reinforced were brought more into contact with the colonial economy. The colonial government

intensified earlier efforts of promoting monetization commoditization of opportunities for retail

trading of the elite communities.

Analysts and scholars from different global movements came to improve the situation of

gender in the post-colonial period and to close the issue of the gender gap in Africa; the issues

women faced were to become global discussions. The gender inequalities were also evident

among boys and girls in schools, and they widened throughout the educational process. During

this time, Africa registered the highest relative increase in primary education, but girls were
Running Head: HOW DOES COLONIZATION AFFECTS IDEAS OF GENDER 5

enrolled at the lowest rate compared to boys. During the post-colonial period, the role of female

chiefs decreased as the male chiefs negotiated with the British colonial powers in the oversight

of taxes and governance. There were reforms on customs of a land-tenure system that provided

women with access to land exchanged for land commercialization, and it favored those with

access to wealth earned from the sale of cash crops. The European style of education was unique,

and it was seen to be favoring boys over girls.

The transitional response is focused on weakening a nation-state's control over its borders

and inhabitants. This response was based on commercial sexual exploitation, global social

justice, and it reflects on the uncultured desecration of elementary human rights and thrilling

violence against women. Transnationalism led to increased immigration in developed countries

that led to the response of global economic development, resulting in multicultural societies.

Several arrangements were made by transnational response offered new trade and industrial

opportunities for private business (Rai et al., 2013). These new strategies have led to increased

global mobility and access that led to worldwide communication. This has led to territorial

controls that were imposed by traditional nation-states that have been less relevant. Some of the

transitional crimes include human trafficking, people smuggling. Transitional crimes can be

influenced by the transitional response, which will lead to customary international laws and

crimes. The transnational response has led to extradition, which is the mechanism by which one

sovereign requests and obtains custody of a fugitive within the control of another sovereign. The

process of transnationalism is commonly contrasted with nationalism, which has led to a strong

belief among people of different social and economic groups.

Running Head: HOW DOES COLONIZATION AFFECTS IDEAS OF GENDER 6

Conclusion

In conclusion, colonization has affected gender-related issues and created different ideas

about gender in most developing countries. These ideas were important since they were linked

by different sectors of life, including religion and education. It also created policies that shaped

how people from different gender can coexist mutually within society. Colonization undermined

the role of women as compared to men during that era.

Running Head: HOW DOES COLONIZATION AFFECTS IDEAS OF GENDER 7

References

Keskinen, S., Tuori, S., Irni, S., & Mulinari, D. (Eds.). (2016). Complying with Colonialism:

Gender, race, and ethnicity in the Nordic region. Routledge.

Kubota, R. (2020). Confronting epistemological racism, decolonizing scholarly knowledge: Race

and gender in applied linguistics. Applied Linguistics, 41(5), 712-732.

Rai, S. M. (2013). Gender and the political economy of development: From nationalism to

globalization. John Wiley & Sons.

Ramirez, R. (2007). Race, tribal nation, and gender: A native feminist approach to

belonging. Meridians, 7(2), 22-40.