Gender role during slavery

Research has shown that slavery had a profound impact on gender dynamics and relations, with male and female slaves facing different roles and responsibilities. Men were typically more involved in tasks associated with labor while women’s roles centered around domestic duties (Carretta, 2002). Additionally, the legal codes of slavery enforced gendered expectations for how each sex was to behave within the institution. For example, the slave codes imposed harsher punishments on men than women for refusing to comply with orders from their master (Fogel & Engerman 1974). Such policies served as a form of control intended to subjugate both sexes yet reinforce traditional gender roles. This further highlights the ways in which enslaved individuals were expected to conform to prevailing standards of behavior based on their sex. Women were expected to be “demure” while men needed to display “strength” (Finkelman 1998). Furthermore, there was an emphasis placed upon chastity among black women since it was believed that this would reduce sexual intercourse between masters and slaves thereby protecting white families from being corrupted by African blood (Siebert 1993). These various examples demonstrate how ideas about appropriate gender conduct were used by masters during slavery as another tool of oppression aimed at reinforcing existing power imbalances between blacks and whites. In conclusion, it is clear that gender played an important role in shaping the experiences of slaves during this period. Research indicates that male and female slaves faced different expectations regarding their behaviors due to prevailing social norms about appropriate behavior for each sex. Moreover, these ideals were deliberately used by their owners as means of control designed strengthen existing racial hierarchies within society.