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                  Religion in the British West Indies

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                  Religion in the British West Indies

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When one thinks of the head of the church, which gender comes to one's mind? In most instances the response is a male figure, but why is this? As we can decipher from the Bible, even prior to Christ, males are viewed as superior and many quotes refers to the upliftment and importance of males yet rarely refers to females in the same light. As heard, many Bible quotes depict women to be lesser beings than that of a man. When slavery was introduced to the Caribbean, it brought the Bible and the teachings of the Catholic church. As a result of this, religion in the Caribbean consequently followed on this path. After the abolishment of slavery, the freed slaves were building the Caribbean from whence the British left it and were assuming head roles in the church, however, women were still not allowed these roles and were limited to posts such as lay readers and service leaders. This can be deemed ludicrous or even ironic as women accounted for the majority of the church population. Fortunately, recently in the 21st century, the religious playing field has begun to be levelled as men and women are given equal opportunities for head roles, with the exception of the Catholic church where still, only males are deemed fit to enter the priesthood and this may possibly never change.

20/4/17

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                      Slavery in the British West Indies 

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                      Slavery in the British West Indies 

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As ones knows, religion had an integral part to play in the process of slavery, therefore it can be understood that there is a link between the gender inequalities of religion and slavery. The same Bible and Catholic church was used to influence the mentality of slaves in the Caribbean and the ways in which work was distributed. Men were allotted to work in the fields while the women were primarily domestic workers, this was as a direct result of the supposed hierarchy where men were superior and stronger beings while the women were inferior and weaker beings. Additionally, among the slaves' households, a patriarchal pattern could be discerned, where the males were viewed as the 'head of the home' and women as basic nurturers.This cannot only be attributed to the religious teachings brought along with slavery, but rather the concept of patriarchy was already instilled in most of the slaves, which stemmed from their origins of West Africa. The gender inequalities of this era were mistaken, as men were seen as the stronger and more important gender. Consider an enslaved woman 'fortunately' working in the slave master's house, being continuously raped by the slave master and receiving severe mistreatment by the master's wife as a result of HIS actions, does one still consider the man to be the stronger gender after perceiving the roles of the women in a different light? Consider also the psyche of the slave master's wife as well, why lash out on the woman and not the man? Women too had strives to bear and should have been considered just as strong as the men, and be treated accordingly in the Caribbean regardless of their previous notions of household patriarchy.

Date: 15/4/17

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Slave Being Raped By Slave Master 15:4:16

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              The Workplace in the British West Indies 

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              The Workplace in the British West Indies 

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Did you know that men earn higher wages than women albeit they possess the same level of education and regardless of the nature of work? This point is self explanatory of the gender inequality in the Caribbean workplace. It has been said and even proven that women's educational achievement surpasses that of a man but yet he is able to attain a high salary than she will. Men are earning significantly more than their female counterparts who would have gone through the same education system and attained the equivalent level of degree. On average in the Caribbean, women are earning sixty cent to every dollar that men make. Why does this trend continue to reign, despite the lowering of the gender pay gaps over the years? This inequality may be linked to the historical and traditional patriarchal complex of the Caribbean society, as was discussed above, through religion and slavery, the same message has been echoed that men are superior to women, and so this concept has been adapted in the various aspects of the Caribbean, including the workplace. The issue of the gender pay gap directly affects the atmosphere of the workplace as well, as women are earning lower wages than their counterparts, they are deemed as inferior and are treated accordingly many times by men, through verbal harassment and even sexual harassment. Furthermore, it is seen that many women are looked over in times of promotion, and even job applicant selection. Although there have been some progress in the narrowing of the gender pay gap and the number of female promotions and head positions, the rate of this progress may result in the disappearance of the gender inequality in many decades if not an entire century.

20/4/17

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        Caribbean Family Life in the British West Indies 

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        Caribbean Family Life in the British West Indies 

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The notion of 'Tie the heifer but loose the bull' has been tossed around the Caribbean for generations. It simply means that in society, women should be kept close, sheltered and domesticated while the men are allowed to be free to do whatever he pleases. This translates into everyday life and even into the societal rules of one's sexuality. Growing up in the Caribbean, as a young woman, one isn't permitted to attend much parties, stay out late or even permitted to have an intimate relationship. On the other hand, all brothers, male cousins and the entire young male population are given consent or even encouraged to do the same things stated that young women aren't allowed to do. In relation to one's sexuality, men are given 'free passes' to have as many sexual relations and partners as he pleases, while women are expected to retain a certain reputation with a 'clean image', and would be looked down upon if this image were to be tainted by her promiscuous actions. This all ties together with the fact that Caribbean family life is very patriarchal which has been taught generationally dating back to slavery; the men are always thought to be of more importance. Caribbean family homes have traditionally been headed by the man while the women stood not aside but behind him. Howbeit, The 21st century has shown some improvements in this injustice issue, as many more independent women are rising up, women are vastly becoming breadwinners and heads of their homes; as this was a major reason for which the man was considered the head since he earned the money or at least more than the woman.

15/4/17

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                            Personal Reflection

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                            Personal Reflection

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This course was very insightful and allowed me to thoroughly reflect on the various issues that directly and indirectly affect me that I wouldn't have necessarily considered before. Even the way in which I learned certain topics from lower stages like primary and secondary school, have now come into question as this course gave new information and different angles to process this information. This can be seen with the gender issue during slavery where women were thought to be given the 'easier' jobs. After participating in this course, I can see these women's life in a different light, as albeit they were given domestic tasks which are considered to be easier, the hardships they would have had to endure in the slave master's house were not examined. This is just one example of the points of reflection that I've undergone as a result of this course. It has taught me to be open minded in respect to other cultures and to be appreciative of my own. The one thing that stands out most when I think of Caribbean Civilization, is the lesson to never call a person or group uncivilized just because they may act, dress or even look different to what I am accustom; the unfair preliminary judgement that I may pass unto someone is the same unfair preliminary judgement that may be passed unto me by someone from another culture or region. As it may have already been deciphered, gender and the inequalities that accompanies it is the topic that stood out most to me and I believe this is because I have a passion for the advocation of equal rights for women. Overall, I will carry everything that I have learned throughout the duration of this course and continue to see things in a new light, always keeping an open mind.

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                                     Works Cited 

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                                     Works Cited 

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Bellony, Annelle, et al. “Gender Earnings Gaps in the Caribbean:
Evidence from Barbados and Jamaica.” Gender Earnings Gaps
in the Caribbean: Evidence from Barbados and Jamaica, 2010,
doi:10.2139/ssrn.1818749.

Brereton, Bridget. “Issue 7 – 2013 Women and Gender in Caribbean
(English-Speaking) Historiography: Sources and Methods.”
Issue7 -2013

“‘Tie the Heifer, Loose the Bull’: Gender Inequality in the Caribbean.”                  What Is Psychology?, www.whatispsychology.biz/gender-                           inequality-in-caribbean. Accessed 19 Apr. 2017.