Race And Gender Has Not Only Shaped The Lives Of People

Race and gender have not only shaped the lives of people, but the history of colonial Latin America as well. The hierarchical system in colonial Latin America was that people of whiter skin enjoyed more privilege (white privilege as a category of whiteness) and more power than people of darker skin. In terms of gender, men were seen as superior to women. The issue of racism developed since colonial times, where people of darker skin were the ones who have been oppressed by people of lighter skin, one example of this was slavery. Interestingly, in colonial Latin America, one’s race and gender were not just based on skin color or on biological sex. Instead, colonial Latin Americans placed people into categories used different criteria, as either ‘man’ or ‘woman’ or ‘black’ or ‘white.’ These criteria ranged anything from where one was born, to one’s physical appearance, or even to the amount of money one was willing to pa y to get to move up to a higher class. Essentially, race and gender came down to class in colonial Latin America. That meant that if you had more money the â€Å"whiter† you seemed and if you were a woman the more â€Å"feminine† you would be. Class is intertwined with race and gender and they informed one another. However, race and gender have created significant systems of power in Latin America by intersecting with its economic, political, and social projects. In particular, they have intersected with Brazil’s, Haiti’s, the Dominican Republic’s, Cuba’s, Puerto Rico’sShow MoreRelatedSocial Stratification : Social Class, Ethnicity, Age, And Gender1074 Words   |  5 Pagesthe more wealthy, the higher the ability to pay to achieve your goals. Lastly, prestige is the respect or renown one has within a community. Social identity is shaped by many factors that are affected and effect our everyday life. Common factors include: social cla ss, ethnicity, age, and gender. 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