Any discussion of
gender issues that arise in Inuit communities needs to be mindful of the gender
model in Inuit society, where gender is “situational and contextual (Trott,
2006) In regards to the family structure and marriage. The Inuits practice
polygamy where the male takes on multiple wives. The elders specifically males
were held in high regard and were the heads of the family. The men usually make
decisions in regards to the family and the elders made decision concerning the
community.
As far as daily
activities such as hunting, gathering, preparing meals, and etc. under special
circumstances were divided up between the men and the women. Generally, the men
would do most of the hunting and gathering of the food, while the women would
prepare the meals and take care of the home. If there wasn't or isn't any male
offspring within a family, but instead they have a daughter, the daughter will
then be taught to hunt and gather as well. Also, if the male is to travel
outside of his normal territory for an extended period of time, it is expected
of him to learn how to cook and sew for himself so that he can survive.
The woman's role has been to keep the Inuit tradition and
customs alive and to pass it down from generation to generation. As time has
progressed roles based on gender have altered somewhat, but all in all remain
the same as they were in the past. Both males and females are able to obtain
education.
Women were able to
maintain their traditional activities of caring for children and the household.
Women were also able to adapt more readily to a rapidly changing society and to
benefit from these changes, as demonstrated by their higher employment rates.
These developments have led to certain imbalances in the status of Inuit men
and women that have affected the relations between them. It is within this
context that certain gender-related issues, notably domestic violence, can be
understood. At the same time, the unequal status of Aboriginal women more
generally in Canadian society must be considered as a contributing factor to
the gender issues that arise specifically in Inuit communities .(Morgan,2006)
Sources
Trott, Christopher G. 2006. “The Gender of the Bear.”
Études/Inuit/Studies 94.
Morgan, Clara. 2008. “The Arctic: Gender Issues .” Retrieved
November 16, 2016 (http://www.lop.parl.gc.ca/content/lop/researchpublications/prb0809-e.htm).
Reflecting on the information I learned while researching Canadian Inuit’s and the role gender plays within their daily lives and activities, I realized that there are a few similarities in how gender plays a role in the United States, and within my own biography.
ReplyDeleteIn the past gender roles were bestowed and relied on in the United States. The males were typically the financial provider, supporters, and protectors in the physical aspect, not to say they didn’t provide emotional support, but overall they were the head of the house hold and made the decisions for the family. The responsibility of the women were to take care of the home and the children.
As with the Inuit society, in the states, gender roles were revised or reverse given certain situations. If there was no male who could be deemed as head of the household, the women would continue her responsibilities as the woman of the house but also take on the responsibilities the male of the household once held, unless she remarried.
Another similarity within the Inuit culture and the past culture of the United States concerning the community as whole was the input women had in decision making. In Inuit culture the males especially the elders handle the major decisions concerning the community. In the United States that has somewhat been the same. Women weren’t typically part of the major decision making. Women didn’t even have the right to vote let alone hold in position or power to make decisions for their whole community.
Fortunately as time has progressed so have family and community dynamics within the Inuit society and the United State. Gender roles are more situational and contextual. Women and men within families have now gone against the grain, and instead of following ways of the past for the most part, have now decided to assign roles based on what works better for their family and not strictly just because of gender. Now this doesn’t apply to everyone in both societies because no one has the exact same family dynamics and some still choose to go by gender roles and norms, but overall there has been a shift.
In my own personal biography and family gender has been more situational. Most the women in my family especially my mown mother have had to assume the roles of both male and female, meaning, being the sole financial provider, caretaker ,and protector. So in some formats the ways of the Inuit were foreign to me because that hasn’t been my overall experience. Now I can relate because in my own personal relationship my significant other has assumed some of the roles that are typically placed on males and I have assumed some of the roles that are typically place on the women, but, at the same time we also share some responsibilities that would typically be split by gender, not for the fact that we are millennials, want to break away from the norms of society, or anything of that nature, we did it because that is what works for our family dynamic. As I have become an adult and started a family of my own, I am now able to see the correlation and able to apply, reflect and connect with some of their past ideologies in regards to gender and how it plays a role in my everyday life.