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                      GENDER AND EDUCATION 

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                      GENDER AND EDUCATION 

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Presently in the Caribbean most Universities are dominated by the females. During my research at the library, while reading the book titled “Men at risk,” by Errol Miller, I discovered that there is a higher percentage of literate women than men in the adult population of the Caribbean. However, this has not always been so since before the nineteen century males present at Universities were higher than that of females. According to Miller (1991), “Until 1975 to 1976 more men were enrolled in bachelor’s degree programs than that of women in the University of Jamaica.” However, there has been a shift where more women than men have been attending Universities. In 1960 -1987 there has been a complete change of gender bias among students attending Universities.

Additionally, based on the student’s statistics (2015-2016) of the University of the West Indies St. Augustine Campus in all areas of studies, more females than male are enrolled at the University. A total of 6317 males have registered for the period 2015-2016 as compared to 10,672 females. Females are also predominated in most of the classes on a regular basis. This is evidence that women are moving away from the old belief during the time of slavery and creole society after the end of Enslavement. During that time education was seen as more viable for boys than girls and exposed gender biases since boys were taught artisans which allowed them a great deal of income, while girls on the other hand were taught house management and sewing. Education is one of the leading factors that demonstrates women’s ability to seek their independence and move away from being dependent on their male counterparts who has been deemed as superior throughout the time of slavery and after Enslavement.

This is a picture of me at the University of The West Indies St. Augustine library on the 20 th March 2017, holding a book entitled “Men at risk.”
Additionally, are pictures of two tutorial classes at the University of the West Indies St. Augustine Campus that were taken on the 29 th of March 2017.These pictures were used to demonstrate that presently, most classes are dominated by females than males.

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                             GENDER EQUALITY 

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                             GENDER EQUALITY 

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During the Sugar and Post Emancipation Era, gender was used to depict the different parts of the sugar estate. Gender was an organisational principle which continues to this day. The sugar plantation era was divided into five parts based on gender division. The great house, where the plantation owners resided was predominated by both enslaved, and white women. House management was done by women as it was considered a woman’s task, most of the enslaved women were open to sexual exploitation. At the refinery, the work was divided into skilled and unskilled tasks. The skilled tasks such as the shipping of sugar into baggage, and the boiler man was carried out by men since there was a belief that men were smarter than women. Also, at the enslaved huts/quarters there was a division of labour where domestic tasks were carried out by women such as sowing of garments, child rearing, cleaning and food preparation. Slave plots were only allotted to men, and women predominately grew crops on these plots, harvested, marketed and sold them. However, the sugar estate greatly contributed in shaping the continuation of our norms.

Presently, in Trinidad and Tobago the access of rights and opportunities are affected by gender. The issue of division of labour still exist in our society today and continues to be of importance to Caribbean Civilisation. Women continue to contribute to social, economical, and political achievement but the advancement of gender parity has slowed significantly in numerous societies. The fight for men and women to have equal rights, treatments and opportunities and not be discriminated based on their gender is still an ongoing issue. The main objective, is for men and women to attain equal treatment throughout society in general and not just merely in politics or work place.

This picture was taken from the Trinidad and Tobago Nation Museum on the 28 th March 2017. It represents the Sugar Cane Plantation during the period of Caribbean Enslavement.

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   A Blind Eye Toward Violence Against Women

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   A Blind Eye Toward Violence Against Women

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Trinidad and Tobago continues to witness the most excessive use of violence against women while our dignitaries often turn a blind eye to these issues. The issue of domestic violence against women can be traced back to the nineteenth century and it continues to be a serious problem within our society today. In 1996, twenty-four-year-old Nicole Agard was stabbed multiple times and murdered by her boyfriend in which the media reported as a “lover’s row.” However, the perpetrator only spent eight years in prison after committing such a horrendous crime. In contrast to this, on the 4th of February 2017, Jamilia DeRevenaux was murdered in a domestic dispute at Movie Town where she worked. Young women are frequently abused through the use of violence by men and there is no stipulated legislation to treat with this matter fairly. Due to the brutal incident that occurred with Jamilia DeRevenaux, on the 06 of February 2017 the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago chose to address this problem with the words “pick your men wisely.” He also added, that the public calls on him to address the situation of domestic violence against women, but he is not the one in our bed rooms or in our choices of men.

Our system and our authorities continue to fail and betray women in our society. Often blind eyes are turned and victims are being blamed rather than creating suitable avenues to reduce violence against women. Systems should be established to educate young men about the ways in which women should be treated likewise how to control their anger. There is an increase of fathers leaving the home, resulting in our young boys growing up without a father figure to instill values, standards, and the role of a man which a mother may not be able to do. Additionally, systems should also be implemented to provide greater protection for women such as safe houses. "Peace cannot be kept by force, it can only be achieved by understanding" - Albert Einstein

"Interview with Victim's Sister - Nicole Agard"
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3-LA0-CTUCLR1pTRXZPdUNTU2M

"Photos of the articles"

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Celebrating the Advancement of Caribbean Women.                                                                                                                                            PROBLEM OF REGIONAL IMPORTANCE   

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Celebrating the Advancement of Caribbean Women.                                                                                                                                            PROBLEM OF REGIONAL IMPORTANCE   

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IGDS ON INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2017 - MARCH 8 TH 2017.
The Institution for Gender and Development Studies (IGDS), of the University of The West Indies, St. Augustine, on International Women’s Day 2017, beseeched the Government to address the issues of gender equality. Dated back to history, women have always been demarginalized and perceived as powerless, holding insignificant status within society. Most social, economic, and political variables perceive women as average with lower paying jobs and undergoing higher levels of unemployment. Religion has a major influence on the dominant social factors in society. Most of the values being taught in society that form the basis of right and wrong stems from the dominant churches. Gender opinions accepted by the mainstream Christian churches are what frame the basis of accepted gender behavior in the Caribbean. One of the main teachings of the Christian churches is the belief that women should operate in the private sphere and remain at home, care for children and perform housekeeping duties, while men should operate in the public sphere and toil to perform the role of a breadwinner. Thus, I am of the perspective that due to these values learnt through religion, women of Trinidad and Tobago have been influenced and continue to exhibit lower levels of work force involvement and experience high levels of unemployment.

Additionally, in the sugar society, gender was of great concern to job selection since men and women were perceived to have different skills and abilities (strength, knowledge) and men were seen as being smarter than women. In the Caribbean today, men receive higher wages than women and women are more likely to be unemployed and defined as “economically inactive.” The (IGDS) entreats with the government the recognised that the economic vulnerabilities against women have a major impact on social relational and household encounters and results in an increase of gender based violence and intimate partner violence. However, despite most women are now being educated in different fields of study, they continue to have consistent economic vulnerabilities.

"Photo and link of article"
http://sta.uwi.edu/news/releases/release.asp?id=1661

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                                                                 Works Cited 

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                                                                 Works Cited 

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Bruzual, Alexander. "Murder at MovieTowne," 05 Feb 2017,
www.trinidadexpress.com/20170205/news/murder-at-movietowne.html

Hassanali, Shaliza. "Pick your Men wisely," 07 Feb 2017,
www.guardian.co.tt/news/2017-02-07/pick-your-men-wisely.html

"IGDS on International Women's Day 2007," 08 March 2017,
www.sta.uwi.edu/news/releases/release.asp?id=1661.html

Miller, Errol. (1991) "Men at Risk."  Kingston: Jamaica pub. House Ltd.

"Student Statistics (2015-2016)."
www/sta.uwi.edu/resources/documents/statistics/Student_Statistics_2015_2016.pdf.html

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                        "WHY ME? MR.EURO"

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                        "WHY ME? MR.EURO"

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In the days of the “chattel”

There is a tale that was never told so bold and well

The most divine human vessel

Was treated with the most inhumane conditions

They made me a sexual slave

They went beyond all transgressions

Mr. Euro could not resist

The African woman’s sexual prowess

I was physically superior

That left Mr. Euro’s wife inferior

He raped me, and made me a slave

Tortured me until my last days

I got favors from Mr. Euro

But still I had been robbed off my innocence and dignity

It was a psychological warfare

An insane reality

Mr. Euro even treated his own wife

Like a puppet on a string

She did all that she could do for her husband

But he could never be pleased

He didn’t care about me

Even if I begged on her knees

Mr. Euro did not care

He did whatever he pleased

The Patriarchal nature of chattel was a living hell

For a disregard for an angel is the tale I tell

In Africa, I was a queen

I came from royalty, I was regarded as supreme

But I was captured by Mr. Euro

That took away all that I was worth

To be treated with great pain of infinite hurt

The vessel from heaven to earth

The divine vehicle that a child is birth

Woman was treated like she had no value

I was divine,

But could not do anything to stop Mr. Euro’s evil eye

I wished it could stop

But to my heart Mr Euro was blind

The harsh atmosphere intensified with time

He was a nymphomaniac

That treated me as a sexual object

A tool for him to use as his footstool

He made me feel as though i was nothing

He tortured me both physically and mentally

Words cannot express how I felt inside

Sorrow to the depth of a bottomless pit

I was used and physically and psychologically bruised

I was used as a machine to produced babies

And a maid to be slaved for all eternity

By the evil Mr Euro who robbed me off my humanity

Video of me saying, "Why me? Mr. Euro."
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3-LA0-CTUCLTUF6SlM0SXlRQ28

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             Self-evaluation of Learning for the Semester 

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             Self-evaluation of Learning for the Semester 

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THE BEGINNING

At first, my expectations of this course were extremely low as I perceived it to be similar to what was taught in Secondary School history. However, after the end of the first plenary conducted by Dr. Campbell my perspective had changed completely. This introductory session allowed me to develop a different view to this course as it was mentioned that most of what was learnt before about the Caribbean was not quite the truth. One phrase that stood out for me during this introductory session was “subjugated knowledge” which was stated by Dr. Campbell as “knowledge that is known but is not taught.” As a result of this, I challenged myself to not only succeed at this course but also to be open minded and receptive to learn as much as possible about the Caribbean and the reasons for the Caribbean being so diverse.

DURING THE SEMESTER

As the semester continued, I tried my best to not lose focus with the workflow. At first it was a bit challenging as it was my first experience doing an online course. The most challenging aspect was accessing the sessions as most times I would be logged out of the sessions due to internet failure. This left me extremely worried and frustrated as I tried my best to familiarized myself with this new system. However, it took me a while to get used to the process and what was been taught since most of the information was new. After attending the tutorial sessions where specific topics were elaborated and explained more in depth assisted me in better understanding the information. Another challenge was not being able to communicate with the lecturer on a face to face basis since this is the strategy that encourages to learn faster and better understand what is being taught.

MID AND LATE SEMESTER

During the middle and final weeks of the semester, my interest to this course grew even more. The information conveyed by Dr. Campbell on a weekly basis often left me in awe. He added new information and knowledge to my perception of the Caribbean, and this helped me to understand the reason for different types of people in the Caribbean. Different people came into the Caribbean for different reasons and left their legacies, ideas, and traditions, which still at present remain with us as Caribbean people. The session that really caught my complete attention was “Beyond the Rivers of Babylon: Enslavement and Freedom of West Africans in the Caribbean.” Being educated about the difference between West African slaves and the Caribbean “chattel” slavery left me with mixed emotions. I never imagine such cruelty took place among Caribbean “chattel” slaves who were not even recognized as persons but property that could be bought and sold with impurity. All in all, this course was a very interesting and educated one. Based on the information taught, I am now left with a better understanding of the Caribbean and the unity, culture, and tradition shared as Caribbean people.

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Throughout this Caribbean Civilisation course the area that was of most interest to me were issues of gender equality. This portfolio reflects my opinion and perspective on these issues. The learning materials used during this course have opened my eyes to many issues surrounding gender equality within my country. Each entry represents an objective and is structured accordingly. Firstly, a critical thinking on an issue of importance to Caribbean Civilization followed by an understanding of the social environment in relation to the application of Caribbean Civilisation. Thirdly, a problem of regional importance as reflected on current affairs literature, followed by the issue of violence against women. Additionally, a self-evaluation of the course throughout the semester, and lastly a poem which reflects the ways in which slave women were treated on the sugar plantation.