Gender Roles In Ar 'N' T I A Woman By Deborah Gray White

Black Womanhood of the South Not only did slave woman in the plantations of the South have the affliction of racism, but they also encountered sexism as well.
The roles these woman faced between their community and family were relentlessly altered compared to the female roles that were a tradition in society. 1 As Deborah Gray White stated in her book Ar’n’t I a Woman? “black woman were unprotected by men or by law, and they had their womanhood totally denied.” (12) Unfortunately, black women did not belong to that body of females who deserved respect and protection. Female slaves had the least power in the society. They were also the most vulnerable due to the fact that they were African American in an all-white society and were slaves in
Black women played several roles in slavery and in freedom. According to Darrel Dexter, the roles of Lydia Titus, was much of a struggle being a free slave. He informs us that, “Lydia Titus not only had to work on the farm to provide for her family, but maintaining their freedom against kidnapping became a lifelong struggle.” (371) The roles of a slave were much more brutal than that of a freed slave. As young as 9 years old, these undeveloped children were responsible for cooking. As the teenage years came, they were then held responsible for raking stubble, pulling weeds, hoeing, and picking cotton. (94) There are numerous stages of growth and work for the children and adults of slaves. However, gender was not recognized when it came to the younger slaves. White mentions on page 93 that "parents were more concerned that children, regardless of sex, learn to walk the tightrope between the demands of the whites and expectations of the blacks without falling too far in either direction." The life of children was finding ways through the slavery to survive. The teenage years conveyed tough work and an aching awareness of what the slave life meant to