Sociology 100 Autobiograhy Essay PDF

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Pacific Islander living in New Zealand...

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Socio-autobiography essay

In the Samoan culture, traditional practices have been imbedded in the way that they have functioned for generations. With this, there are different expectations they believe belong to certain genders, with a “third gender” being established in Samoa in addition to men and women. With each gender comes a different set of expectations that each is expected to meet. This socio-autobiography will analyse inequalities that I have personally witnessed and have been affected by being a woman made from two Samoan families; one that is traditional and one that is not. I now understand that these inequalities are due to the strong sociological structures of Samoan communities that still exists today. The strength of this is evident in the way that many Samoan people in New Zealand still practise traditional Samoan customs despite the differences in culture. I will focus my analysis particularly on patriarchy, ‘doing culture’ and socialisation. By exploring these gender concepts through a cultural and historical lens, we are able to justify the traditional approaches to such issues.

An important factor to note when analysing the gender inequalities in Samoa is the importance of Christianity to this culture. Pre-Christian times show how highly regarded women were once valued and respected in Samoan society which changed after Christianity dominated. Salamasina, one of Samoa’s most powerful leaders in history predating the introduction of missionaries in 1830 was a woman. She today is still highly regarded and her legacy is still taught in most Samoan institutions. When historically analysing the island, it is interesting to see how Samoa has evolved over time.

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With Christianity, came a patriarchal system which is still heavily practiced in Samoan communities today. “The Bible is the foundational document for two major world religions, and in its appropriation for western cultural life it has been a major influence for centuries...” (Rooke, 2016) which is true to Samoa since its introduction. Corinthians, 11:3 states “...that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the women is the man; and the head of Christ is God,” a verse which they believed validated their patriarchal system. When I lived in Samoa as a child, the importance of church and faith was undeniable. A church stood at every village and attendance was mandatory every Sunday. The practice of patriarchy was evident in the practice of religion as the Priest that stood before us was a man and could only ever be a man. The biggest house in our village belonged to him, further emphasising his high status. Two religious figures within Christianity, Jesus and God are both males and are the centre of most Samoan families. An example of Christianity being the basis of Samoa is reflected in the Coat of Arms of Samoa “Fa’avae I le Atua Samoa”, translating to “Samoa is founded upon God.” This motto continues to enforce the patriarchal ideas within Samoa’s community, allowing the existence of male dominance within Samoan families.

Patriarchy is further enforced through the traditional chiefly administration practice in Samoan villages. All decisions concerning village affairs are discussed by a council of chiefs- all of which are men. There is no other authority beneath the control of the chiefs and therefore no room for the village to question their dignified authority. Perhaps this is why it is difficult for Samoa to accept the words “the rights of women” because the concept of authority comes from the authority of men and chiefs only.

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Due to socialisation, as a child living with my grandparents in Samoa every summer holiday, I observed these social gender roles through their day-to-day tasks and believed this was the norm. My grandfather would take care of the maintenance outside of the home and village matters and my grandmother would take care of the domestic matters inside of our home. All of the other men and women in the village, as well as all of my aunties and uncles did the same. Everyday there was a clear segregation between men and women and the tasks they were expected to do. This even applied to my cousins and I; as children, I was expected to weave mats, and help my nana with the chores meanwhile my boy cousins would help my grandfather outside. This division between females and males was very clear each morning as we would farewell the boys. I felt as a child that this was unfair because I always wanted to tag along, however this was something I would never question and accepted as the norm. “Leave the boys to do the boy stuff. You be a good girl and help your nana inside” is something my Nana would always say to me as this was something she was told by her grandmother and practised her entire life. Reason for this could be a result of influence by religion as well; the bible is a roughly 3000 year old narrative which explain its originators way of life at the time, explained by Rooke (2016) as their “pattern of life: where men cultivated crops, which was difficult and demanding; women bore children, which was painful and laborious,” further explaining religion's influence on the role of genders and socialisation we see today. When she came to New Zealand for a visit a couple of years ago, she could not believe her eyes when she saw me mowing the lawns. Immediately she scowled at my father and told him it was a task he should be doing.

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As a child having witnessed these roles within my own household in Samoa allowed me to believe this was the only way of life there. Having a mother whose family is traditional with strong roots in Samoa, and a father whose family roots are weak had confused and conflicted as a child living between two countries with two different sets of expectations.

This socialisation still affects me today here in New Zealand. At family occasions on my mother's side, my female cousins and I were expected to serve and clean up after our family. Our brothers and boy cousins were unfairly allowed to kick around a rugby ball during. Historically, a covenant between brothers and sisters which emphasises the importance that once existed. This was called “faigaiga” and highlights the importance that brothers once placed on their sisters. My Nana often spoke about how her mother's brothers acted almost as fathers to her in many ways, taking care of her financially and teaching her many skills as a child. This covenant has weakened with time no longer exists between siblings. Brothers no longer owe a duty of care to their sisters and the erosion has led to less respect being shown to women.

‘Doing Gender’ after spending a considerable amount of my childhood in Samoa has somewhat naturally been embedded in me here in New Zealand. “Doing gender goes beyond the individual – the way you treat another person in regards to their gender comes under the same practise” (Holmes, 2013). During the school holidays, ever since I was 14 and it was legal to, I was expected to look after my younger brother and cousins because I am the eldest female grandchild. I have 3 older cousins who are more than capable to do the same, however such a responsibility

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would not be given to them due to their gender. This to me was never a burden, although it meant I missed out on hanging out with my friends, I enjoyed the role of caring for the younger members of my family. Prime Minister of Samoa Tulia’epa Fatialofa himself stated that “Concerning the status of mothers in Samoa, their usual responsibility is to secure the lineage of a family and to spend their time looking after the children”. Being expected to be domesticated and to nurture the children in a family expectation of women in Samoa has stuck with my family here in New Zealand and is something I myself am subject to.

‘Doing gender’ in Samoa is particularly interesting when analysing the ‘third gender’ or “fa’afafine”. This is the third gender that has been established in the Samoan culture commonly in families where there are many sons and not enough daughters to assist with the “gendered roles” associated with women. This highlights the importance of segregation between females and males in Samoa. The Samoan culture has influenced the Samoan mindset of families and the strict roles they believe should only be associated with specific genders. Throughout the documentary Fa'afafine: Queens of Samoa (1995), examples of this third gender have revealed that families would rather “assign a son at birth to embody the associated feminine gender traits” than to allow their existing sons to engage in such feminine activities as a man.

While history has shown that it is possible for women to achieve the highest status in Samoan society, this does not mean that women today are participating equally to men in all aspects of their private and public lives. Men in Samoan societies hold majority of the power in most aspects, making women immediately of a lesser value.

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By analysis of the three concepts of gender- patriarchy, “doing gender” and socialisation- we are able to see the influence of gender on the upbringing of an individual. From birth, our responsibilities based on our genders are influenced by social institutions and learning gender roles is an unconscious process which establishes an individual's responsibilities early on in life. With time gender roles are changing in Samoa, giving women slightly more power, for example in politics, however it is still the fundamental role of a woman to be a mother or a wife. Our understanding of gender roles influences how we present ourselves and how we treat others. Human societies are constructed largely on gender expectations where we are constantly expected to play our gender role (Crittenden, 2012). This practise is even depicted in the bible where there is a distinction between the different role that each gender should carry out. The many gender inequalities within the bible, a religious book that Samoan societies place much importance on today and have for many generations, helps to institute this predominantly patriarchal society. Samoan approaches to gender are heavily influenced by forces societal and historical. Traditional Samoan families, like mine, place great importance on segregating tasks between males and females, where they have gone to the extreme of creating the Fa'afafine to ensure this. In Samoa and in Samoan families dispersed around the world, they accept these gender inequalities as their way of life and as the norm. They continue to “doing gender”, fulfill their expected gender roles and accept the patriarchal structure. academically, these experiences are justified when we look through a historical and cultural lens and understand the sociological concepts behind the way genders are in a society.

Word Count: 1798

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Bibliography -

Crittenden, C. A. (2012). Predicting patriarchy: Using individual and contextual factors to examine patriarchal endorsement in communities. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 28(6), 1267-1290. doi:10.1177/0886260512468245

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Holmes, M. (2013). Educating. In S. Matthewman, C.L. West-Newman, & B. Curtis (Eds.), Being sociological (2nd ed., pp. 121-138). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

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Schoeffel, P. (2014). Representing Fa‘afafine: Sex, Socialization, and Gender Identity in Samoa: Gender on the Edge, First edition, (4). University of Hawaii Press: Hawaii.

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Riley. D. (1966). Samoan heroes First edition,(7). Michel Mulipola illustrator. Auckland:Reading Warrior.

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Rooke, D.W. (2016). Of Women, Snakes and Trees: The Bible. In C. Cuttica (Eds.).G. Mahlberg (Eds.). Patriarchal Moments: Reading Patriarchal Texts (pp. 9–18). : Bloomsbury Academic.

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Percival. G. (Contributor). (2013). Exploring gender equality issues in Samoa. Part 1. Samoa : Tiapapata Art Centre 2013. Percival. G. (Contributor). (2013). Exploring gender equality issues in Samoa. Part 2. Samoa : Tiapapata Art Centre 2013.

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