Women, Gender and Development in the Caribbean: Reflections and Projections

The roles and social positions of women in the English-speaking Caribbean have changed profoundly over the past generation. Pat Ellis looks back over what has been achieved since 1980, and forward to the issues and challenges facing Caribbean men and women in the context of changing development policies, the increasing incidence of poverty, and a population deeply affected by migration and ageing. Drawing on a wealth of up-to-date statistics and other information on the region, and her own wide-ranging experience and detailed knowledge, she identifies Caribbean women’s concerns, problems, and needs. She documents the shift from the earlier women and development approach to a new stress on gender equity and gender equality, and discusses the growing awareness of the problems faced by Caribbean men. She describes the advocacy, research, education and training, legal reform and other programmes which have tried to transform gender relations. The result is an agenda-setting volume which should be of use in gender programmes and policymaking in the coming years.