Simone Ramrattan | 20220244

SOCS 0206- Final Assessment

10-04-2023

Inequality in the Caribbean has been and continues to be a widespread issue plaguing our

society. This generally refers to the state of not being equal, especially in status, rights and

opportunities. It is an unfair situation in society when some people have more opportunities than

others and it goes on for generations. There are many forms of inequality that we as a society

face in our day-to-day lives that stem from our history. These include income inequality,

inequality of wealth, inequality of opportunity, gender inequality and many more. Poverty and

social discrimination are the main reasons for inequality as poverty lead to denial of access to

resources and social discrimination based on caste and gender leads to treating people without

any dignity. Sociological perspectives such as Marxism and Feminism can be used to explain

inequality in Caribbean society.

Marxism can be considered to be a political, economic and sociological philosophy Karl

Marx. In sociology, Marxism has manifested as a method for socioeconomic analysis with

numerous theories and had a great historical influence on the organization of countries. Using the

methods of Marxism, sociologists can outline the dominant power structures of society and

examine their effects on how people within society see power structures. Marxism draws a

differentiation between two groups of people in society: the proletariat (lower-class) and the

bourgeoisie (upper-class). Marxism is still quite evident in the Caribbean, as the upper class

often referred to as ‘the 1%’ and ‘Syrians’ is the part of the society that continues to thrive while

the lower class tend to struggle. There is unfortunately a lack of opportunities available to help

the lower class elevate to some sort of level of success. This ultimately led to the cliché saying,

“the keep getting rich and the poor, poorer”.

 In the Caribbean, most land and homeowners are possible through generational wealth. It

is nearly impossible for a lower-class citizen to purchase land or a home from just one source of

income as the price is in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. The system is set up in such a way

that makes the process difficult for someone without any substantial assets in their name. The

bourgeoisie often owns the means of production — everything needed to produce goods in a

society. They are the owners of conglomerates and multinationals and remain the holders of

power in society. The upper-class are known to exploit the lower-class workers in order to gain

maximum profit because of their power and resources. This mainly occurs because of the

proletariat’s inability to create their own goods and services and reap their own value, according

to Marx.

In recent times, there has been an increase in the formation of worker’s unions and shop

stewards set up within an organization in an effort to combat injustice and exploitation within the

workplace. This encourages the lower, working class to speak out and stand up for themselves

against the one percent. With the evolution of technology and social media, there are now

multiple platforms where the lower-class members of society can express themselves and expose

the wrong doings of these “bourgeoisie”. It is because of this, the one ‘percenters’ are more

cautious of their actions as they have the fear of being exposed to the public. Such repercussions

can include loss of sales and bad publicity.

Happening right now in the Caribbean, the prices of gas and food among other necessities

are increasing drastically but the wages of the lower-class citizens remain unchanged after so

many years. Yet the powerful business owners and ruling class continue to generate massive

profits at the expense of an exploited and oppressed majority group, their workers. Most times

workers do not recognize that they are being exploited as exploitation is often disguised.
Nevertheless, there are two main social groups that exist in most Caribbean societies (those who

rule and those who get ruled) and it seems like it will continue on like this until the poor get

educated.

Feminism is another sociological perspective than can be used to explain inequality in

Caribbean society. Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to

define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality among men and

women. This is a campaign against gender inequality and advocating for equal rights for women

around the whole. Feminism allows women to choose to live free from discrimination based on

the principles of equality and social, cultural, political, and economic independence. This

movement addresses various issues related to women around the world in certain ways that can

be applied to certain cultures or societies.

In the Caribbean, we are seeing more women stand against discrimination and inequality

based on gender. There are more women in science, politics, business, entertainment,

engineering, law enforcement and other leading positions. It was in Caribbean culture that the

traditional role of a women is stay at home to become housewives, mothers and caretaker.

Women was conditioned to believe that being educated was for the man of the house often

referred to as the ‘bread winner’ in the household. Many Caribbean grandmothers and great

grandmothers are uneducated as they never got a chance to pursue their education. They just

knew that lifestyle as the way of life in the Caribbean. There are still some homes where that

mentality still exists.

The recent generations, women are more liberated and want to be educated and

independent. Feminism has provided women with increased educational opportunities, protection

against workplace discrimination, and the right to make personal decisions about their
reproductive rights. There are a massive amount of female university graduates every year as

young women want to be educated in order to gain employment and enjoy their financial

independence. Now we see women hold high, leadership positions in the workplace than men

would usually possess along with equal pay for equal work. Where women would usually be

looked over for a promotion, they are now being taken seriously for the most part. In Trinidad,

2010, the first ever female prime minister was elected to govern the country and still continues to

be a political leader today. With the campaign of feminism, there was the creation of the

‘#MeToo movement’ that brought worldwide attention to sexual harassment and assault within

the various industries which allowed women to expose those who have abused them.

In conclusion, inequality continues to still exist in the Caribbean. While there are some

positive changes happening in society there is still more to be done so that everyone can have a

better quality of life. Sociological perspectives can be used to explain many inequalities that

impact Caribbean society. Marxism is one of those perspectives that goes to further elaborate on

the exploitation and oppression of the working, lower class in society by the powerful, high-class

members. Feminism is another sociological perspective that can be used to explain inequality in

Caribbean society. This movement helped changed the way in which women see their role and

function in their homes and in society. Women are now more empowered, educated, and

financially independent. Feminism helped women be treated fairly in the workplace and gain the

right for equal pay for equal work.