What is Political Dominance?
"Political Dominance is the power one holds in a relationship that is focused on wealth, jobs/ a career, or politics."
- Collins, Black Sexual Politics
- Collins, Black Sexual Politics
Political Dominance in the Black Community
The struggle between what Collins calls the "weak men, strong women" thesis is very prominent within the Black community. The absent father is common in this community. One reason is the lack of commitment, but another reason for this is the tradition that has been learned over the years. Young boys grow up without a father and then become that absent father for their own sons. Power distribution is affected by this tradition. The women are forced to step up and take care of their families, becoming strong, independent, and politically dominant in the relationship while at the same time, black men still want a woman who will make them feel "manly". Collins points out that this encourages men to become abusive in their relationships with the women who are taking care of them financially.
Collins goes on to say, " [...] all Black people suffer when an African American man refuses to do "women's work" or when an African American woman waits for her man to pay her bills. Everybody has to pitch in, and any gender ideology that gets in the way of collective financial success is itself part of the problem."
The results of our survey further supports the idea of political dominance in relationships and the claims Collins makes. We found that 50% of those surveyed "Agree" that political dominance exists in relationships while more than 64% "Strongly Agree" that they have personally experienced political dominance in their own relationships. We found these results to be very interesting and expanded on our understanding of political dominance in the world today.
Collins goes on to say, " [...] all Black people suffer when an African American man refuses to do "women's work" or when an African American woman waits for her man to pay her bills. Everybody has to pitch in, and any gender ideology that gets in the way of collective financial success is itself part of the problem."
The results of our survey further supports the idea of political dominance in relationships and the claims Collins makes. We found that 50% of those surveyed "Agree" that political dominance exists in relationships while more than 64% "Strongly Agree" that they have personally experienced political dominance in their own relationships. We found these results to be very interesting and expanded on our understanding of political dominance in the world today.
Political Dominance in Break Any Woman Down
In Dana Johnson's book, political dominance is shown in many of the stories.
1. "Markers"
Our first example of political dominance in Johnson's book is the story "Markers" (pg. 134). Max forces Avery to stop working because he views her as better than someone who would be a cleaning lady. In this story, Max has obvious political dominance over Avery because he is controlling whether she works or not and has control over the money entering the home. Here are some quotes that demonstrate this fact:
–“These hands are for painting, not toilets. Definitely not for cooking. No. (...) So I won’t let you do it.” (p.147)
–“Maybe I should stick up for myself more, but he doesn’t give me the chance.” (p. 147)
–“Yes.” Max says grinning. “Good girl.” He pats me on the ass, rubs it. (p. 148)
2. "Break Any Woman Down"
Another example of political dominance in Break Any Woman Down is the title story- "Break Any Woman Down". In this story Ladonna is told by her boyfriend that she is not allowed to be a stripper, a profession is which she is making a good living. He tells her this all the while he is a porn star. The dominance he has over her profession and ability to make a living can be considered political dominance.
- "When I first met Bobby, I'd been doing it for five years because I made a lot of money [...]." (pg. 39)
- "He got it in his mind that since I was his girl, I shouldn't be stripping." (pg. 43)
1. "Markers"
Our first example of political dominance in Johnson's book is the story "Markers" (pg. 134). Max forces Avery to stop working because he views her as better than someone who would be a cleaning lady. In this story, Max has obvious political dominance over Avery because he is controlling whether she works or not and has control over the money entering the home. Here are some quotes that demonstrate this fact:
–“These hands are for painting, not toilets. Definitely not for cooking. No. (...) So I won’t let you do it.” (p.147)
–“Maybe I should stick up for myself more, but he doesn’t give me the chance.” (p. 147)
–“Yes.” Max says grinning. “Good girl.” He pats me on the ass, rubs it. (p. 148)
2. "Break Any Woman Down"
Another example of political dominance in Break Any Woman Down is the title story- "Break Any Woman Down". In this story Ladonna is told by her boyfriend that she is not allowed to be a stripper, a profession is which she is making a good living. He tells her this all the while he is a porn star. The dominance he has over her profession and ability to make a living can be considered political dominance.
- "When I first met Bobby, I'd been doing it for five years because I made a lot of money [...]." (pg. 39)
- "He got it in his mind that since I was his girl, I shouldn't be stripping." (pg. 43)
Media
There are many examples of political dominance in the media outside of Johnson's book. Our first example is from the Tyra show. It is a young woman who is using an older man for his money. She persuades him to support her while she is going through school by paying for every expense in her life. The young girl shown in this clip is controlling the man's money and therefore has political dominance over him.
Another example of political dominance in the media can be seen with the following article entitled "Alpha Women, Beta Men". The article details a part of society in which women are the main bread-winners in the family instead of the men. In this case, the women have the political dominance over the men due to the fact they are the ones supporting the families. This article goes into the emotional aspects of this sort of relationship. One woman describes her feelings, "It's like one of those things where you realize you're married to people who drink."
Link to "Alpha Women, Beta Men"