Women in Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidadian and Tobagonian women during an "Africa Unite" symposium
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| Gender Inequality Index | |
|---|---|
| Value | 0.311 |
| Rank | 50th |
| Maternal mortality (per 100,000) | 46 |
| Women in parliament | 27.4% |
| Females over 25 with secondary education | 59.4% |
| Women in labour force | 54.9% |
| Global Gender Gap Index[1] | |
| Value | 0.7166 (2013) |
| Rank | 36th out of 136 |
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Women in Trinidad and Tobago are women who were born in, who live in, or are from Trinidad and Tobago. Depending from which island the women came from, they may also be called Trinidadian women or Tobagonian women respectively.[2] Some women in Trinidad and Tobago now excel in occupations such as being microenterprise owners, "lawyers, judges, politicians, civil servants, journalists, and calypsonians". Other women still dominate the fields of "domestic service, sales, and some light manufacturing".[2]
Women of Afro-Trinidadian mix commonly become "heads of households", thus with acquired "autonomy and power". By participating in Trinidad and Tobago's version of the Carnival, Trinidadian and Tobagonian women demonstrate their "assertive sexuality". Some of them have also been active in so-called Afro-Christian sects and in running the "sou-sou informal rotating credit associations".[2]
Contents
Notable women
Among the prominent women of Trinidad and Tobago are Elma Francois and Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
Elma Constance Francois (14 October 1897 - 1944) was an Africentric activist who, on 25 September 1987, was declared as a "national heroine of Trinidad and Tobago".[3]
Kamla Persad-Bissessar (born on 22 April 1952)[4]) is the seventh Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the sixth person to hold this position. She was sworn in as Prime Minister on 26 May 2010 and is the country's first female Prime Minister.[5]
Marriage
In the past, Trinidadian and Tobagonian women with East Indian ancestry experience being betrothed when they are still very young through the practice of arranged marriages.[2]
Status and etiquette
Women in Trinidad and Tobago are expected not to respond to any verbal harassment done by men while in city streets, because such as reply will make those women lose their status.[2]
Police force
In 1955, Ordinance No. 6 of 195 of the government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago made it possible to draft into the police force of the country twelve women to "deal with juveniles and female offenders".[6]
Women's groups
Women's groups in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago include the following: Concerned Women for Progress, The Group, and Working Women.[2]
References
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Trinidad and Tobago, everyculture.com
- ↑ Gilkes, Corey. Elma Francois 1897-1944, TriniView.com, November 03, 2002.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ "PNM lose to Peoples Partnership in Trinidad elections 2010", ttgapers.com, 24 May 2010.
- ↑ History of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service", ttps.gov.tt
Further reading
- Reddock, Rhoda. Women, Labour and Politics in Trinidad and Tobago: A History (Google Books)
- Brereton, Bridget. "The Historical Background to the Culture of Violence in Trinidad and Tobago", Caribbean Review of Gender Studies, A Journal of Caribbean Perspectives on Gender and Feminism, Issue 4, 2010, The University of the West Indies Institute of Gender and Development Studies, 16 pp.
- James-Sebro, Meryl. "Woman Power and Leadership Styles: Lessons from Trinidad and Tobago", Caribbean Political Economy, normangirvan.info
External links
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