Effects of Changing Roles in the Caribbean

There is room for change. Although men and women are sharing roles in the home, the
distinction between women's work and men's work in the home still remains to a great extent,
intact. This has created conflict in the family as women sometimes find it difficult to cope with
their jobs and their family roles. Some working wives are still being regarded by their husbands
as the ones who are mainly responsible for doing the housework and raising the children.This has
resulted in:
1. Identify crisis
2. Marginalization of the males
3. Role conflict
4. Development of greater self-esteem and confidence/independence of women

The most dramatic shifts in the gender order concerns women. Young professional women are
winning many of the new jobs in the services and knowledge industries, earning more money,
increasing their share income and strengthening their hold on the professions. In the field of
education, female achievement has been outstripping that of young males for at least a decade.
An increasing number of young women are exhibiting characteristics previously considered
typically male, such as a willingness to take risks, a desire for adventure in sport, foreign travel
and a much greater interest in sexuality.

The rise in the participation of women in the workplace and in education, as well as women's
new social freedoms are often related to the decline of the male breadwinner and male privilege.
The conclusion often touted is that of male marginalisation. The suggestion is that men are
unable to fulfil their role because women are too ambitious. This conclusion is based on the age-
old conception of the role of the male 'breadwinner' as being essential to the full realisation of
male identity. Having a job and earning a good income are essential mechanisms through which
men gain power and prestige, as well as attract women. The role of the breadwinner is an
important source of authority for men within the context of patriarchy. A decline in this role,
through unemployment for example, has manifested in the loss of self-esteem.
People tend to argue nowadays that males and females are equal but each has different roles to
play; the man is responsible for his family and the woman is responsible for household matters.
One cannot help but wonder why the role of a woman in her family is still limited to childcare
and housekeeping and why the tasks of childcare and housekeeping are still seen as 'women only'
tasks. Men are capable of sharing these roles with women and, in fact, some do. This type of sex-
role stereotyping confines human potential, limits options for men and women, and sends out
messages which often contradict daily life experiences and also:
- Perpetuates dominant and subordinate relationships in our society
- Reinforces power structures in which males are more important than females and
- Lays the foundation for gender expectations based on male domination and female
subordination. Families, teachers and peers reinforce such notions until even young
women come to believe that their unequal status is justified and young men believe they
are superior. This is further perpetuated by cultural practices and religious interpretations.

Power relationship
The unequal power relationship between women and men, created and maintained by gender
stereotypes, is seen as the basic underlying cause of violence against women.

According to a UNICEF document:

"It has been well established that the primary cause of gender-based violence is the unequal
power relationship between men and women, based on stereotypes of the male as privileged and
powerful and the female as inferior and submissive. Such stereotypes have been taught the world
over to boys and girls from early childhood. All too many men, prompted by their sense of what
is 'masculine', use violence and intimidation to keep women and girls 'in their place' - a
submissive one."

The reality
Arising from the many efforts and contributions by different organisations and individuals over
the years, gender equality and the roles of women are now part of mainstream discussions
worldwide. Declarations have been made, conventions have been ratified, specific policies
regarding women have been established and various promises have been made. All these efforts
are important, but at the best of times they seem to be limited to the public sphere. In the private
sphere, that is, in the family, the practices we all claim to be eliminating (gender bias, male
domination, female subordination), to a very large extent, still prevail.

Activity
"Women have had to find ways to combine their several roles of homemaker, mother and income
earner throughout their life cycle.”
Barbados’ Minister of Employment, Labour Relations and Community Development, Daily
Nation, 1987-09-29.

1. Identify THREE traditional roles other than those listed above, performed by the woman
in the home
2. State THREE problems women may encounter when they become income earners.
3. Explain THREE factors that have encouraged women to seek jobs outside the home.