Race has always been a topic of controversy and serious discussion. And the most common and debated fight between races is that of the ‘Blacks’ and the ‘Whites’. So before we indulge ourselves into the topic of whether race matters to a women or not, let’s quickly understand what is race first?
What is Race?
Race is the idea that divides human beings into specific distinct groups based on inherited physical or behavioural appearances. Although the meaning of race is not as simple as it seems, and since 17th centuries there have been various meanings that have been attached to the word ‘race’ but what most of them have in common is the fact that race in general refers to a group of people who share some of the common visible physical traits like skin colour, hair texture, facial features, so on and so forth. And such features are associated with large, geographically separated populations, like the European race, the African race, the Asian race and so on.
But what people tend to do to distinguish between themselves and prove themselves as superior than the others is that they use the colour of their skin to discriminate or their religions like ‘the Blacks’, ‘the Whites’, ‘the Browns’, ‘the Arabs’, ‘the Jewish’, and many more.
And trust me, understanding the meaning of race itself can get very complicated because of the revolutions happening with time to time which have been changing the perspective of people as to how they understand race and it’s importance, although what always has been and still is prominent is understanding one’s race by looking at their skin colour and then deciding whether they are superior to you or not.
Does race matter for women?
Did you know that a woman of colour is twice marginalized? Yes, a woman of colour (Black/Brown) is twice marginalized, first because she is a woman, and secondly because she is a woman of colour. It is also found that a woman of colour has to prove her abilities twice more than a normal woman as well, so as to be able to survive without much discrimination. So this pretty simple definition I guess answers the question whether race matters to women or not? Well, it does matter because when you have to face marginalization in the society twice as much than the others, you will definitely will think about it and it will definitely matter to you.
But wait!!! It ain’t that simple, there is more to it. For starters if you are a White women then what you will face in this patriarchal society is one time marginalization; that is for being a women thus considered lower to men (still prevalent in many parts of the world) but if you are a woman of colour in this patriarchal society then at first you have to face marginalization because of being born as a women and then secondly for being a woman of colour who is considered lower than the white women. And thus, being a women of colour you not only have to face discrimination in the hands of men but also in the hands of white women who are considered superior to you.
So, race becomes an important factor for women and they do care about which race they belong to. With changing times and a lot revolution in the patriarchal mind-set and society, White women don’t have to suffer much in the hands of males who think of themselves as superior but when it comes to women of colour, well it is still a touchy subject they still are bullied in the hands of males as well as White women and the best examples of this can be seen in the U.S.
So it is very clear that how and why race does matter to a women. Now, let me give you an example of how women think about race and it’s importance in their lives. I hope you all know the famous celebrity couple Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik. They together have a baby daughter Khai Hadid Malik who was born in September 2020. But why are we talking about them here? Well, that’s because when it comes to their daughter they want her to bridge the gap of ethnicities or race on her own because of the fact that she belongs to the mixed race of being an English and an Arab, like her parents Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik. And Gigi and Zayn had their own fair share of battles regarding their race as at times especially Gigi felt that "Is what I am, or what I have, enough to do what I feel is right? But then, also, is that taking advantage of the privilege of having the whiteness within me, right? Am I allowed to speak for this side of me, or is that speaking on something that I don't experience enough to know? Do you know what I'm saying?" (Vice i – D interview, Pinkvilla), and this very thought of her showcases how she thinks or feels of being a part of two very different races.
Race is not something one chooses but it is something with which one is born. Like I for example did not decide that I wanted to be born an Indian thus becoming a part of the Asian race automatically because of the geographical location of the country. But I’m an Indian and an Asian anyway and because one can’t decide about their race, they shouldn’t be judged about it either but unfortunately that’s not the case.
And because there are still some prejudices prevalent against one’s race, it becomes difficult for women to discard their race and move forward because they at first face discrimination for being a women and then because of them belonging to a certain race. But when is it that women are more concerned about their race? And the answer to this question is when it comes to dating that is because of xenophobia people don’t like dating just anybody and if you are women you have to be careful of who you are, where you belong from and so on because it has always been easier for men to ignore these things and move ahead just because they are men. Not only that there has also been cases in the past when White men have married or had girlfriends of colour as a status symbol which will prove them as people who are not racists and accept people for who they are and not based on their race and culture.
So, you all can see that race in general is also very important for a human being because it describes their origin, their traits, characteristics and physical features. It is something that they belong to or come from but it becomes more important for women as they are already marginalized in a patriarchal society for being a women and if they belong to a specific race like the Africans or Asians which are not the superior nations/continents of the globe then have to face double discrimination. Thus, race does become very important for women as it is something which might affect their future.
Ref:
race | Definition, Ideologies, Constructions, & Facts | Britannica
Why does race matter for women? | Discover Magazine