El Barrio Gender Roles

253 Words2 Pages
This quote examines the gender roles that the drug dealers of El Barrio established for themselves as an attempt to overcome the stress of failing to support their family financially. The drug dealers revert to life on the streets to regain their sense of masculinity and authority that they feel is lost because of the instability that they caused within their households. In the earlier chapters of the book, Bourgois examines the gender roles that the drug dealers impose on women. In El Barrio, the mothers are expected to provide a nurturing environment for the children while the father earns the income for their survival. Women are also expected to comply with the demands and orders of the men in their lives. The children of these dealers are