Ruth Blasse VFCSS A Level

Caribbean Feminist Thoughts

Feminist Thought or Feminism is a sociological perspective that is concerned with the experiences of
women, particularly in terms of addressing the inequalities they face in their social, political and
economic lives.

There are various types of feminists, who have differing beliefs on the causes and solutions for the
struggles faced by women.
But, for the purpose of this presentation we will highlight only three types and focus in detail on one.

Mainstream feminism considers women's issues and the fight for gender equality but was primarily
theorized by White women and is thus eurocentric in nature.

Womanism is a subcategory of feminism which was proposed by African American theorists to highlight
the experiences and particularly racial struggles of Black women in White patriarchal societies.

Caribbean feminism takes into account and seeks to explore the unique experiences and hardships faced
by Caribbean women which tend to contrast women from other regions.

For example, many Caribbean feminists had no reason to advocate for the ability to seek work outside the
home ( which was a primary objective of mainstream Feminist movements) since women are usually the
breadwinners of Caribbean households.

Alternatively, many Caribbean women, unlike those of other ethnicities, face the hardship of single
parenting, as matrifocal households are characteristic of the region.

Origin of the Movement

Caribbean Feminist movements can be traced back to the period after the Second World War, in the
1960s.

At this time, women in the USA and Europe were advocating for political, economic and social treatment
similar to that of their male counterparts. These movements had a particular influence on the begining of
distinct Feminist thoughts in the Caribbean
Objectives

The primary objectives of Caribbean Feminism are to:

★ Promote the recognition of women's rights
★ Achieve gender equality
★ Eradicate the exploitation of women
★ Expose the socioeconomic flaws within the patriarchal system.
★ Propose alternative and more fruitful ways of organizing the sexual division of labour, managing
households and families, ruling societies and shaping welfare policies.

Contributors

There have been a number of contributors to the Feminist movements within the region,
spanning from fields such as politics to arts and music.

Some individuals who have voiced notably feministic ideas are:

★ Dominica's Dame Eugenia Charles, their first female Prime Minister

★ Barbados' Honourable Mia Mottley, their current President
★ Tobagonian Calypsonian "Calypso Rose"
★ Jamaican Poet Lorna Goodison

Organizations
Various regional and local organizations are directed towards the objectives of feminist issues.
★ Caribbean Association for Feminist Research (CARFA)
★ National Organization of Women in Barbados
★ The Women Speak Project
★ Girls of a Feather in Saint Lucia

Impact on Caribbean Development

Protective Legislation
Lobbying for legislation to protect women has resulted in alterations to local and regional
judicial laws.
For example, the passing of the Domestic Violence bill in Saint Lucia in March 2022.

Access to Education
The empowerment of women through education has resulted in increased numbers of women
completing both mandatory levels of education as well as continuing into tertiary levels.

Access to Job Opportunities

As a result of the increased literacy of the Caribbean female populace, there was a direct increase
in their access to and gaining of job opportunities. The number of female workers drastically
outweighs that of male workers in many Caribbean nations.

These sentiments are illustrated in the following statistics (retrieved from DataBankWorld.org)
which indicate the ratio of female to male workers in the respective Caribbean countries of
Jamaica, Barbados and St.Lucia:

Jamaica
An increase of 79.911% between 1960 and 2020

Barbados
An increase of 89.616% between 1960 and 2019

St. Lucia
An increase of 87.81% between 1993 and 2018

Thus, one can contend that the movement of Feminist Thought within the Caribbean has
ultimately had a positive benefit on the region.

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