Race and gender consciousness among Black women in America.

Abstract

Black women's unique status as members of subordinate race and sex categories was examined by focusing on race consciousness and gender consciousness. There were two major goals of the analysis. Firstly, we compared Black women's level of race consciousness with their level of gender consciousness to address popular ideas in the literature related to Black women. Specifically, we assessed the relative merits of the race primacy, sex primacy, and race and sex as interactive perspectives in capturing Black women's unique status in American society. Our other major goal was to develop a research framework for examining race and sex as interrelated processes. The 1983 General Social Surveys and a convenience sample of Black males and Black females comprised the data sources. Attitudinal and behavioral dimensions of race consciousness and gender consciousness were captured through several indicators of these processes. In addition to race and sex, variables age, religiosity, social class, family structure, and region of residence were included in the analysis to determine the effects of these variables on consciousness levels. The statistical analysis was carried out using percentages, correlation, chi square, analysis of variance, and regression. We found a significant relationship between Black women's level of race consciousness and their level of gender consciousness, thereby suggesting support for the race and sex as interactive perspective. Further support for this perspective was revealed in the between-group comparisons of mean consciousness levels. The mean consciousness levels of Black women and Black men were higher than the mean consciousness levels for white women and white men. In terms of support for the race primacy perspective, participants in the convenience sample expressed a greater amount of concern for race-related issues than for gender-related issues. We discussed in detail the limitations of the sampling procedures and the measures employed to capture consciousness. In spite of the limitations, the analysis provides a point of departure for research in the area of race and sex. The theoretical framework contributes to the existing social science literature on Black women by emphasizing the interrelationships between individual- and structural-level processes and the interconnections between race, sex, class, and other social characteristics.