"Boyz in the Hood" -Gender Significance

“Boyz in the Hood” is seen as an important film of the time in regards to gender because of its portrayal of sexist views especially in African American culture. One of the main examples of this is that there are very few women in the movie with speaking roles. The mother seems to have no job in the son’s life, as his father takes over with strong discipline to put Tre down the path he thinks is right. The film creates the idea that in order to have morals, a child must have a father, and that these standards cannot be put in place by a female. Without a strong male role model, the film shows that issues such as pregnancy and violence will prevail. Often in the film, females are put down with derogatory terms and are looked down upon, as though inferior in the culture and the area in which they live. The women’s perspective is entirely overlooked in the creation of this movie. Although there are mothers and girlfriends, that seems to be all that women have any importance for in the ‘hood, as the many of the other women are drug addicts and cannot take care of themselves. In contrast, the males are seen as highly dominant and are always fighting for superiority.