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Intolerance in society refers to people unwilling to respect the beliefs and opinions of others. They are not open to ideas of other people. Mistrust in society can show up as violence, dishonesty, lack of empathy towards others and passive aggression. It is becoming increasing difficult to trust each other. Growing up in a society without trusting each other can influence our thoughts and actions. Therefore, I agree with the social identity theory which believes that “humans define themselves, as well as others, largely in terms of the social groups to which they belong” (Cram).

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Sometimes decisions made by school supervisors are forced upon school officials and students with little consultation. These decisions are often received with uncertainty because they are not in the school and are unaware of what is happening. For example, in the Caribbean high-stakes exams such as CSEC and SEA are used, not only to assess students but indirectly teachers and schools. Outsiders do not have the knowledge of the students’ progress in school. Schools are ranked according to their Academic Performance Index (API). API is a measurement of their academic performance and progress of each school. It is unfair to compare students in the urban areas to students in the rural areas.

However, these successes in these exams make up a minor fraction of the Caribbean people. People of considerable talent and achievement have emigrated and denied their talents to their own countries. This is a situation where a country loses its talented and skilled manpower to another. Admittedly, some of the best remained at home and continued to aid the development needs of their countries, but they still are a low percentage. Many students were not able to succeed at school because of the structure of the test-based system and therefore have affected the rate of development in the region.

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Corruption over the years has led to mistrust in government and politics. In fact the results of the “Global Corruption Barometer – Latin America and the Caribbean 2019” (Transparency International) show that most people living in the Caribbean think that government officials are the most corrupted groups of people by 53 percent. Some reasons that lead to political mistrust are “fraudulent funding of political parties, vote-buying or the spread of fake news during campaigns” (Transparency International). Politicians should act with integrity at all times and not for their own self-interest. They should ensure a transparent environment for all political activities including finances.

Although Trinidad and Tobago's levels of corruption remained the same from 2017-2018, there was no improvement, according to Transparency International. Transparency International's 2018 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) lists “Trinidad and Tobago with a score of 41, while the country dropped in its overall rankings from 77 in 2017 to 78 in 2018” (Loop News TT).

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The Caribbean is not known for injurious expressions of religious intolerance, as people generally respect each other’s choice of religion. This sort of Caribbean tolerance isn’t limited only to religion, as inter-faith marriages are mutual in all countries and no one will be turned back for entering a place of worship.

“In Trinidad and Tobago in July 1990, 114 members of a group named Jamaat al Muslimeen carried out an armed attack on the national parliament” (St. Lucia News From The Voice) and took over the nation’s top television and radio stations while in session, taking the then, Prime Minister Mr. A.N.R. Robinson and members of the government and opposition hostage, in the process demanding respect for the twin-island republic’s Muslim minority. Twenty four people including a parliamentarian died during the six days of chaos, but the coup leader, Yasin Abu Bakr, eventually negotiated an amnesty from the President for their surrender, without prosecution.

The Caribbean has never been a place of war. The region continues to be known for its hospitality and tolerant attitude towards others. Caribbean people of all religions do share the common sorrow of those who have lost loved ones. Also they do not condone such senseless acts, such as killing people, for reasons like someone else decides to worship a God of their choice.

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Gender inequality in the Caribbean refers to gaps between persons based on gender. Caribbean countries have been moving toward compliance with the United Nation's Convention on the Elimination on Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), but according to the UN Women’s Caribbean department, there is still work to be done to achieve gender equality in the region. As a result of gender inequality in the Caribbean region, women bear most of the negative impacts.

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Caribbean women make up a great portion of the labour force but still earn profoundly less money than their male counterparts. “On average, 50 percent of women are part of the formal sector as compared to more than 75 percent of men. Unemployment rates are high throughout the region, and are especially high for women despite their higher educational attainment. For example, According to the 2007/2008 World Development Report, the female unemployment rate in Jamaica is 207 percent of the male unemployment rate, in Guyana that number is 240 percent, in St. Lucia 164 percent, and 190 percent in Trinidad and Tobago” (SKNVibes).

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Plans have been made to reduce the gender bias in the labour market. However, the Inter-American Development Bank reports that “at every educational level, men earn higher wages than women” (SKNVibes). The pay levels for females without primary and secondary education are similar. Women only see significant changes in their salaries with tertiary education. The load of care work and the absence of opportunity in the labour market translates into poverty having a much gendered impact in the region. Women have limited access to resources like credit and land.

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Informal work may be considered as unpaid work. In the informal sector there is discrimination where men tend to do the work that earns high wages like construction, while women do the work that is considered domestic for example cleaning or babysitting. Therefore women earn less wages than men. In the Caribbean most households are controlled by single-parents, mainly women. Informal work does not offer benefits such as maternity/sick leave and healthcare. Also women may have fewer access to credit that would allow them to arrive at the formal sector.

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In the Caribbean, marriage rates are small as common-law relationships, visiting relationships, where one partner lives or works in another country or at another primary residence are common. The general belief throughout the Caribbean region is that females are to continue to be monogamous, while it is satisfactory for men to have numerous partners or families.

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Violence against females is prevalent throughout the region. “According to UN Women Caribbean, 1 in 3 women in the Caribbean will experience domestic violence. Three Caribbean countries are among the top 10 for reported incidence of rape, and all Caribbean countries have higher than the world average for rape” (SKNVibes). The lack of worth placed on women's effort, reduces their bargaining control within the household. This leads to widespread spouse violence. Both women and girls are impacted by violence, and a large proportion of teenaged girls reported forced sexual initiation.

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The weight of care work and housework drops disproportionately on females in the Caribbean. Social norms allow women to work for the sustainment of their families, but also brings the anticipation of men as breadwinners, and women as homemakers. The load of family life, child care frequently forms women's wage work, limiting them to places near the home.

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The Caribbean countries have a past of universal access to primary and secondary education. Throughout the whole Caribbean region, girls outdo boys in primary school, specifically in the subjects of Mathematics, English and Reading. In the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) exam, taken at the end of secondary school, “girls were both more likely to score better than boys as well as outperform them across all subject areas” (SKNVibes). Also boys were more expected than girls, to drop out before and during secondary school and have high repetition rates. “Women completed on average 13.3 years of schooling whereas their male counterparts completed 12.7 years. Women are enrolled in secondary and tertiary levels in greater numbers than men” (SKNVibes).

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Caribbean women gained the right to vote in their self-governing legislatures at the same time as men. “The percentage of women who turn out to vote is similar to that of men however, women are significantly underrepresented in the island legislatures, at only 15% on average” (SKNVibes). Female ministers are more likely to run ministries usually associated with women, such as Education, Housing, Social Development and Culture.  However, the countries of Dominica, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and Jamaica have all seen women Prime Ministers or Heads of State. The present President of Trinidad and Tobago is Her Excellency Miss Paula-Mae Weekes who took office on 19th March, 2018. She became the first female to hold the office of President.

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In conclusion, over the past years the Caribbean countries under the lead of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), has made important steps in improving tolerance and mistrust. Changes are also being done within the entire region to progress education for young males, to increase representation of females in the government, to improve conditions in the working environment and to share the weight of care work between men and women.

As Caribbean citizens, we try to make people become religious followers just like us or change them into who we want them to be. We should be encouraging a peace, through understanding, respecting and appreciating the differences among us. So we argue, persuade and try to convert, when we are not created to be the same. In my opinion, I will tolerate your right to choose any religion you desire, so you ought to tolerate my right to disagree with your belief system. Tolerance includes respect and not judging other people’s gender, education or occupation by your own personal beliefs.

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“A Look at Gender Inequality in the English Caribbean.” SKNVibes, https://www.sknvibes.com/news/newsdetails.cfm/95719.

Digital, VP. “Religious Tolerance and Intolerance A Caribbean Perspective.” St. Lucia News From The Voice St. Lucia, 13 May 2019, https://thevoiceslu.com/2019/04/religious-tolerance-and-intolerance-a-caribbean-perspective/.

Doodnath, Alina. “Report: T&T More Corrupt than Saudi Arabia, S. Africa, Jamaica.” Home, 29 Jan. 2019, http://www.looptt.com/content/report-trinis-unwilling-report-corruption.

e.V., Transparency International. “Political Integrity Lacking in Latin America and the Caribbean, Especially around Elections.” Www.transparency.org, https://www.transparency.org/news/feature/political_integrity_lacking_in_latin_america_and_the_caribbean_especially_a.

“Essay on What Causes Social Intolerance?” Cram, https://www.cram.com/essay/What-Causes-Social-Intolerance/P3NYS83XC.

Schultz, Katherine. “There Is Rampant Distrust in Education. Here's How to Fix That.” Education Week, 18 Nov. 2019, https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2019/06/20/there-is-rampant-distrust-in-education-heres.html.

“Social Intolerance.” Issuepedia, https://issuepedia.org/Social_intolerance.

Vijayan, Arun. “Why Social Trust Is Broken and How It Is Ruining Our Society.” Medium, Medium, 11 Aug. 2017, https://medium.com/@mixdev/how-social-mistrust-is-ruining-our-society-b97cb154cee0.