Gender and the Garden

By

Ala Rasheed

Historical perspective

• Gardening for the purpose of leisure was reserved for the social elite

• Women were regulated mostly to weeding in 16th century to the Victorian era

• Women of higher status tending small gardens

• For profit gardening was associated with men

• Division of labor was based on socio economic status

Historical perspective cont

• Flower types and availability favored higher class

• Women were regulated to lower form of gardening.

• Specialized and exotic plants were reserved for men of the upper class through out much of history.

Current gardening gender gaps

• Men are more associated with the grunt work.

• Flowers and exotic plants are seen as to feminine for younger males.

• Landscaping, mowing the lawn, and tending to more masculine perceived chores are considered manly.

Gardening between young/old males

• Old men and young men offer the most stark difference in leisure activity.

• As men get older tending a garden becomes more common.

• Gender differences dissipate, men become more common in the garden later in life.

Theories on change

• Gardening in history was related to upper class white families.

• Reserved for the social elite.

• Was based on racial as well gender boundaries.

• Men and the garden relied on social status

• Today its more on gender stereotypes, masculinity vs. femininity.

Traditional ideals of leisure

• Gardening is seen as a feminine activity

• Growing vegetables and fruits is seen as more masculine

• Tending flower gardens is seen as feminine.

• Social boundaries separate acceptable leisure activities between the sexes.

• Economic boundaries, as well as cultural boundaries also effects what is seen as the norm.

Social structure of gardening

• The hierarchy of gardening was based on race.

• Gender

• Class

• Social status

• Leisure related to gardening was reserved for the elite.

Continued…

• For the middle class to lower class families women were regulated to fertilizing, weeding, jobs men did not want to do.

• White upper class heterosexual women, seen gardening as leisure through out much of history.

• Gardening for middle to lower class was not considered leisure.

Current gardening trends

• Social hierarchal standards dissipate.

• Culturally more acceptable for women to garden for leisure rather than sustainability.

• Historically men reserved right to garden for leisure and for profit.

• Currently men due to the media and advertisement juggernaut have shunned gardening as feminine.

Continued….

• Gardening not based on economic status anymore, but rather gender stereotypes.

• Social norm being shaped by media rather than culture.

• Media demonizing feminism.

• Media is drawing a line to separate gender related activates

My reservations

• Gardening to me was seen as

• Feminine

• Labor rather than leisure

• Not manly

• Time vs. return did not seem worth it

Reflection

• Needed to get past stereotypes.

• Started to accept it as a masculine activity.

• Still did not tend to flowers felt that growing vegetables and providing food was masculine.

• Gave me the patience, and gave me time to reflect on my life.

• Provided me with me time.

Continued…

• Even in gardening gender lines are concrete.

• Learned that stereotypical gender prejudice can still exist.

• realized that even in leisure labor is involved.

• Felt a sense of accomplishment.

Preparing the soil

The upkeep

Finished product

References

• Bennett, Kate M. "Gender and Longitudinal Changes in Physical Activities in Later Life." Age Ageing (n.d.): n. pag. Print.•

• Corlett, Jan L., Ellen A. Dean, and Louis E. Grivetti. "Hmong Gardens: Botanical Diversity in an Urban Setting." Economic Botany 57.3 (2003): 365-79. Print.

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• Dines, Gail, and Jean McMahon Humez. Gender, Race, and Class in Media: A Critical Reader. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, 2011. Print.

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• Fairbairn, Neil. A Brief History of Gardening. Emmaus, PA: Rodale, 2001. Print.•

• Henderson, Karla A. Both Gains and Gaps: Feminist Perspectives on Women's Leisure. State College, PA: Venture Pub., 1996. Print.•

• Loudon, John Claudius. An Encyclopedia of Gardening Comprising the Theory and Practice of Horticulture, Floriculture, Arboriculture, and Landscape-gardening ... a General History of Gardening in All Countries ... with Suggestions for Its Future Progress, in the British Isles. London: Longman Rees Orme Brown Green, 1828. Print.

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• Munroe, Jennifer. "Gender, Class, And The Art Of Gardening." Prose Studies 28.2 (2006): 197-210. Print.•

• Munroe, Jennifer. Gender and the Garden in Early Modern English Literature. Aldershot, England: Ashgate, 2008. Print.•

• Nardozzi, Charlie. Vegetable Gardening for Dummies. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2009. Print.•

• Russell, Letty M. Inheriting Our Mothers' Gardens: Feminist Theology in Third World Perspective. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1988. Print.