Thesis: The duties and opportunities afforded to the enslaved people were based mainly on their gender.

Introduction
Early on, slave buyers in the colonies turned to purchasing female field hands, who were not only more readily available, but also cheaper. In fact, because skilled labor, such as carpentry and blacksmithing, was assigned only to male slaves, the pool of black men available for agricultural work was further reduced. As a result, female slaves eventually outnumbered men in field forces On small farms with few slaves, women were more likely to perform the same labor as men. Usually, however, especially on larger farms and plantations, fieldwork was divided along gender lines, with more physically demanding tasks assigned to male gangs. Men, for instance, might chop the wood for a fence, while women were put in charge of its construction. Men generally plowed the fields, while women hoed. Chattel slavery was a system under which a person was bound in servitude as the property of a slaveholder. Enslaved people were held against their will from the time of their

capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation. Chattel slavery, so named because people are treated as the personal property of an owner and are bought and sold as commodities, was the traditional form of slavery West Africans were subjected to in the West Indies. In the British West Indies there was a division based on skill, gender and colour among the enslaved Africans on the plantations. Field slaves were the lowest group(which in the initial stages was made up of mostly men), then factory slaves who worked in the sugar boiling process. Higher up were the artisan slaves such as blacksmiths, carpenters and masons, who were often hired out by the planters. Still higher up in this class system were the drivers who were specially selected by the white planters to control the other enslaved persons. The domestic or house slave worked in the master's house and often held other enslaved people in contempt. The plantation slave divisions based on colour is a result of the birth of children as a result of unions between white men and black women (mulatto), White men and mulatto women (mestee) and mulatto men and black women (sambo). Some slaves of succeeding generations thus had lighter complexions, and the white planters discriminated in favour of them. These enslaved people with white fathers or white relatives were placed in positions above those of the field slaves. This was the beginning of colour discrimination in the West Indian societies.

Body of Research

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For black men and women, slavery was an equally devastating experience. Both were torn from their homelands and families. Both were forced to perform grueling labour, subjected to mental and physical degradation, and denied their most basic rights. Enslaved men and women were beaten mercilessly, separated from loved ones arbitrarily, and, regardless of sex, treated as property in the eyes of the law. Despite common factors, however, the circumstances of enslavement were different for black women and black men. There were many gender specific differences in slavery. They began as early as the middle passage. The women, generally, did not travel in the holds below the deck, but were allowed to walk about the quarterdeck without shackles. This had significant consequences as they were easily accessible to the sexual desires of the seamen. In Africa, the woman's primary social role was that of mother. In slavery, this aspect of African womanhood was debased. Whereas childbirth in Africa was a rite of passage for women that earned them increased respect, within the British West Indian plantation system, it was an economic advantage for the master, who multiplied his labour force through slave pregnancy. Some enslaved women gave birth to their first child at nineteen years old, and thereafter, bore one child every two and a half years. This cycle, encouraged by the master, was not without benefits to the mother. While pregnant, she could usually expect more food and fewer working hours. Because proven fertility made her more valuable to her owner, she was also less likely to be sold away from friends and family. Some historians, however, have argued that pregnant women were not treated differently as planters valued the enslaved woman not for her reproductive capacity but for her economic value. Girls worked on plantations from the early age of four, by the age of twelve they were fully incorporated into plantation work. They were made to work in various capacities but

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mostly in domestic work (taking care of the household chores like cooking, and cleaning), other tasks included nursing, midwifery, sewing and as concubines. Enslaved women that worked in the great houses also had the task of taking care of the planters children as well as her own. Overall, women were generally responsible for the care (medical and otherwise) of the enslaved population on the plantation. For example, midwives helped women abort unwanted pregnancies caused by rapes by overseers, masters or even other slaves. Women cooperated in many other aspects of everyday life. Names like Auntie or Granny (regardless of the fact there was no blood relation) developed because motherhood responsibilities had to be shared as a result of the incredible demands of the master. On small plantations with few enslaved people, women were more likely to perform the same labour as men. Many planters regarded most slave women as suitable for field work, which consisted of jobs such as digging holes for canes, weeding, and hoeing. In Jamaica, the majority of women between the ages of nineteen and fifty four worked in fields. When woman worked in the fields, there were three levels of field work. Heavy work was carried out by those aged between sixteen and fifty years. Lighter work was carried out by younger enslaved women between twelve and sixteen years, the ill, pregnant women and new mothers. Children under twelve years formed gangs and carried out clearing fields of small items and weeding. Older trusted women would supervise these children. Usually, however, especially on larger plantations, fieldwork was divided along gender lines, with the more physically demanding tasks assigned to male gangs. Enslaved men were considered more valuable workers because of their strength, and performed jobs that ranged from building houses to plowing fields. Male enslaved Africans were treated differently from females, starting with the trip over from Africa through the middle

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passage. Because of their physical stamina the enslavers were afraid of the men and therefore were more cautious. Men were bound in steel and kept below the deck for weeks at a time. The tasks assigned to enslaved males differed greatly from those of women. These tasks needed hard labour and were designed exclusively for males. They included ditch men, plowmen, drivers, minders, stablemen, few males were lucky enough to become skilled craftsmen. Positions like carpenters, blacksmiths, bricklayers, and engineers gave the enslaved men the opportunity for greater mobility than women. Because of their skills they were able to hire themselves out to other employers and therefore earn money (remembering that half or more of their salary went to the master) which they could later use to purchase their freedom. Frequently, these workers passed on skills to their children or kinsmen so they, too, could enjoy better working conditions. They worked in fields too etc. Men not only performed different duties than women, but also did not play the traditional role of the male control and dominance of the female, as enslaved African men did not earn wages or owned any property they were unable to provide for their mates or even offer protection. They were frequently humiliated by the beating, whipping, and raping of their mates. If they chose to defend their loved ones against the rage or desire of the master or the overseer they would be whipped themselves, and in the worst cases sold-off. This demasculization led some men to avoid marriage in the first place.

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Conclusion

Within the period of slavery in the British West Indies there were divisions with the enslaved population derived from a number of factors such as skills, gender, occupation, relationship to production, or simply the arbitrary whim of the master the increasingly harsh penalties and how punishments differed by gender. Men were thought to be more important than women as they were in demand for heavy skilled labour. Though women could breed and increase the enslaved population, many planters felt it was cheaper to by a grown enslaved person than to raise one. Enslaved women were acquired to keep the men company and to work as domestic and field workers. However, as time passed the enslaved women started to outnumber male slaves, in part because enslaved females lived longer. By the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, there were more women working in the field than men due to their lower mortality rates. Despite the common stereotype whereby men are stronger and more physically capable than women, it can be argued that women were as important, if not more important, to field work during the period of Caribbean slavery. The importance of women in the plantation economy is reflected in the price of female slaves between 1790 and the end of the slave trade. The price for a new male slave was approximately 50-70, while the price for a new female slave was approximately 50-60

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