Artifact 3: Gender and Culture

Max Liebl

The role of gender plays a significant role in the lives of people throughout the world. In many cultures, men and women do not share the same freedoms or have the same role in societies men and women in other cultures do. Societies can be either patriarchal or matriarchal meaning their lineages are traced through the male and female side of a particular family, respectively. Or societies can be bilineal which has qualities of both matriarchal and patriarchal. The Igbo of Nigeria is unique in that it falls into the category of a bilineal culture. Compared to other cultures, the roles of men and women are unique in that commerce and horticulture define the social stratification and give unique freedoms to women not typical of traditional cultures.

Unlike other traditional societies, trade and commerce play a significant role in the daily lives of the Igbo. Especially the fact that women are primarily the ones involved in the trade. Women control the markets and handle the trade of all goods from handicrafts to agricultural products. Some women even make sizable profits from this. They are also responsible for producing food as well which primarily makes it a horticultural society. This allows for the Igbo men to have a more leisurely lifestyle. However, this allows for women to have more independence since they have a source of income and land is passed down through the matriarchs of the family. Compared to the Mosuo of China, the Igbo share some of the same freedoms women have, but not the total matrilineal society. Igbo men are still dominant despite the women doing the heavy work. While land is passed down through the matrilineage, women have no authority over control of the land. The men are in charge of the land as well as other facets of culture. The Igbo is a unique culture and is unlike all other traditional, non-modernized cultures.

Men and women in the Igbo culture share very unique roles. Igbo women share many freedoms as in the Mosuo of China where women are the dominant gender. Globalization has done little to affect the Igbo culture, and the role that women play in the political structure is unique in that men and women are split and govern themselves. To better understand the way our society works, it is important to understand how other cultures work and the way they view gender roles.

Help Recieved: Canvas and class resources