Gender-segregated Penal Colonies?

ninebucks

Banned
What if some major colonising power, (/the major colonising power), decided to establish penal colonies for only men, or only for women.

I'm particularly interested in the latter, how economically sustainable would such a colony be, if it consisted of a population of founding mothers that had found themselves Transported for crimes like prostitution and minor theft.

Assuming this female penal colony is established near an indigenous population, the colonists should be able to find enough males to reproduce with - but unlike anywhere else in the world, these women will have the societal advantage, (seeing as they shall have the numerical, immunological, and technological advantage).

Thoughts?
 

Falastur

It wouldn't be very sustainable imo. Penal colonies were established with the intention of using those criminals deemed unsuitable for keeping in the motherland as forced labour and as a basis for a colonial population. With little any more to commit crimes over, and being surrounded by fellow criminals, it was believed - probably quite accurately - that such criminals would therefore accept their lot and settle down to a quiet life living as useful and pliant subjects. With nowhere else to go, it was also in the criminals' interests to adapt to their new life rather that giving up and demanding to leave if the life got tough. A male colony obviously could survive in the short-term but would flounder from lack of population after a few generations. A female colony would fail very quickly as the women wouldn't have the knowledge or (at least from the point of view of the public mindset, and the womens' own mindset) the physical ability to be agricultural workers. Again, after a generation or two the colony would dry up from lack of population. While marriage with the natives is possible it is unlikely to be relied upon and thus to keep the population going as marriage with the natives was stigmatised, and not only this but the natives often were unhappy about inter-racial marriage too. Ultimately I think any gender-segregated colonies would just die off, literally. Just my opinion, of course.
 

False Dmitri

I agree that it's not too plausible in a strict alt-hist sort of way. But this is a fascinating constructed culture idea, and could be the basis for some really interesting fiction. Mind if I bring it up to some friends on a "Conculture" message board I visit?
 

Geekhis Khan

So, a penal colony and a non-penal colony?


Sorry, couldn't resist... :eek:


On topic, I'd think sustainability will depend heavily on outside support. It also requires a society not squeamish about sending women off to desolate isolation, hard labor, and likely death.

Still, sounds more like a Skinimax 3 am movie special plot to me...
 

ninebucks

Banned
Geekhis Khan said:
On topic, I'd think sustainability will depend heavily on outside support. It also requires a society not squeamish about sending women off to desolate isolation, hard labor, and likely death.
Click to expand...

Well, there was rarely any squeamishness when it came to assigning women the death penalty for their crimes, and transportation, on the surface of things, seems much more humane than simple execution.

But yeah, society would probably have to be very misogynistic to carry through with such a plan.
 

Tyr

Encouraging white women to breed with natives?
Hmm....a bit of a iffy proporsition. For the men it was societally iffy but of course somewhat acceptable- man as a animal must spread his seed and all that.
For women though....Well it'd be scandal, the white women being ravaged by the nasty brown people.

I'd think you would have to radically alter the core society doing the penal colonying for this to work.

Or maybe in a fantasy sci fi- you want to set up a penal colony then men are wasted space on a ship, just send women and a sperm bank.
 
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