The Patriarchy’s Role in Gender Inequality in the Caribbean

Abstract

While gender equality in the Caribbean is improving, with women’s growing social, economic, and political participation, literacy rates comparable to those in Europe, and greater female participation in higher education, deeply rooted inequalities are still present and are demonstrated in the types of jobs women are in and the limited number of women in decision-making positions. Sexism, racism, and classism are systemic inequalities being perpetuated in schools, through the types of education offered for individuals and the content in textbooks. Ironically, the patriarchy is coexisting within a system of matrifocal and matrilocal families, with a long tradition of female economic autonomy due to the Caribbean’s history with colonialism. This irony demonstrates the complexity and difficulty to change the dominant ideology and break the vicious cycles creating gender inequalities throughout many sectors of society in the Caribbean. [excerpt]