Aarushi Annapragada Week 2

In ‘A Hair piece’, Paulette Caldwell explores how racism and sexism are interconnected and originate from myths, stereotypes, and patriarchy. However,  She portrays this with the example of black women and their hair, looking at cases where they had faced discrimination. She discusses how even those who are trying to rid the society of racism and sexism are unable to make any progress because they fail to acknowledge the complementary relationship between the two. Black women who don’t conform to the societal norms are seen as a threat to social order and values, and having stereotypical characteristics such as defiance and place the blame of their socio-economic status on such behaviour.

In ‘Working Woman and Mother’, Alexandra Kollantai discusses the intersection of gender and class. She does this by depicting the struggles of the working class and the hypocrisy of the bourgeoisie, and by comparing the hardships faced by pregnant women from the working class, to the luxuries enjoyed by pregnant women belonging to the bourgeoisie. Kollantai puts forth the idea of an alternative to a society with glaring inequalities. She talks of a society where everyone works the same amount and are in turn looked after by the society and that such a society will eventually replace the current one as the working class is fighting to achieve it and that small changes are already visible. She concludes by saying that women should take an active part in the working class movement as ‘there is strength in unity’.