The woman, the black woman, and the time of men: a brief intersectional reflection

Abstract

In colonial Brazil, the prevailing thought was that women were evil creatures with demonic tendencies and for that very reason should be controlled by men in the family and by the clergy. With modernity, patriarchy was institutionalized and from then on, in addition to men in the family and the Church, women also owed obligations over themselves, their lives and bodies, to the State. Even though the condition of inferiority affected all women, black women were subjected to even more degrading evaluations and living conditions, because gender prejudices were added, and still are added, by race. In line with this perception, data from the “Pnad Contínua 2021” show that the worst socioeconomic indicators are those related to black women. Faced with such indicators, this article proposes a brief reflection on the possible connections of such elements with the formation of extreme contemporary inequalities that affect women and, even among them, unevenly depending on their socioeconomic status, race, and gender. There is urgency of designing and implementing public policies that address not only issues related to gender, but also the intersectionality of such issues with race.