Gender Relations in Montserrat

Gender Relations in Montserrat parallel those of the Caribbean in general. Colonized by Great Britain and Ireland in 1632, Montserrat adopted patriarchal values. The island has experienced a shift in gender relations typical of post-emancipation Caribbean islands. Here are a few examples of how gender relations, stratifications, and tensions are apparent on Montserrat.

Politics and Gender

For many years, women in Montserrat did not take an active political role. However, this is changing. Deborah Barnes Jones, current governor of Montserrat, is breaking boundaries in that she is the first female governor of Montserrat. Now, not only is the governor a women, but half of the Executive Council is female.

These women do sense a certain tension on the job. However, Governor Barnes mentioned while having tea with some of the students that she is quite used to the tension inherent in her being a female in a male dominated political scene.
Group of students with the Governor

Economics and Gender

Gender roles can be observed in the economy of Montserrat. Examination shows that men and women hold traditional roles in the job market; that is men hold “hard” jobs- construction work, for example, while women dominate the “soft” professions like nursing, librarians, secretary positions, and other jobs in the service industry. While many women are entering typically male-dominated professions few men engage themselves in female-dominated professions.

The table below exhibits gender differences in employment, Note the differences in gender in the “Technicians & Associate Professionals,” “Elementary Occupations,” and “Clerks.” These occupations are dominated by women. Men primarily compose the “Craft & Related Workers,” “Plant, Machine Operators, & Assemblers,” “Legislators, Officials, & Managers,” and “Agriculture, Forestry, & Fishery Workers.” “Techinicans & Associate Professionals” and “Professionals” have marginal differences.

A walk through Salem or Brades, two commercial areas of the island, will make these things evident. Grocery stores like Ram’s (in Salem) are typically owned by men, the stockers are men, but the cashiers are women. Also, many of the restaurants on island are owned by men; however, you often see either the men’s wives or daughters attending the kitchen or serving guests. Construction at the new Heliport and Airport is performed mostly by men. The Library in Braids have all female librarians. Also, female-dominated secretary positions are evident at the Montserrat National Trust, Bank of Montserrat, and Montserrat Volcano Observatory.

Caribbean Labor Statistics of Employed Persons in Montserrat from 1991 (pre-eruption):

Occupation/Industry	Male Employment	Female Employment	Total Number Employed
Legislators, Senior Officials & Managers	280	170	450
Professionals	120	160	270
Technicians & Associate Professionals	170	190	360
Clerks	80	450	530
Service & Shop Sales Workers	200	350	550
Agriculture, Forestry, & Fishery Workers	190	50	230
Craft & Related Workers	970	70	1040
Plant, Machine Operators, & Assemblers	200	30	240
Elementary Occupations	42	410	830
Not Stated	20	10	30
Total	2620	1900	4520

Source: 1990-1991 Population and Housing Census of the Commonwealth Caribbeanstati

Gender in Popular Culture

Two interesting examples of how gender is evidenced in Montserratian popular culture are

1. Popular music
2. The Miss Montserrat Pageant

Like their Caribbean neighbors, Montserratians are passionate about their music- a combination of hip-hop and Calypso. Visiting an open-air bar in Carr’s Bay, music like Nina Sky’s “Move Ya Body” or any song by Shaggy will be heard. This music notably objectifies women as sexual objects. Montserrat’s own Calypsonian, Arrow, himself has produced music that is less-than-respectful towards women.

The Miss Montserrat Pageant was held this past December. Contestants were between the age of 16 and 21; pictures of the young ladies in formal gowns were scattered throughout businesses prior to the event. While the contestants were vying for a scholarship prize, one can not help but notice that part of the judging process was based on the ladies’ appearances.
One of the contestants for this past festival season’s Miss Montserrat Pageant
Sir Howard Fergus, who recently travelled to Dickinson College with his wife Eudora

Gender through Symbols

Perhaps the most pervasive way gender is expressed is through the symbols of everyday interaction. These include body language, manners of speech, and the roles individuals take in interaction. Symbolic interaction is a tell-tale sign of underlying tension despite affrontry of gender equality.

Sir Howard Fergus, member of the executive council and professor at University of West Indies, recently visited Dickinson College. His wife, Eudora, director of the National Trust, accompanied him on his trip. Both are prominent figures in Montserrat. Yet the ways the couple interacted suggested a subordinate position for Lady Fergus. Lady Fergus seldom spoke. This may be because Sir Howard was the guest speaker. But also, even on questions directed at Mrs Fergus, Sir Howard would answer for her. Also, when taking a tour of the college, Lady Fergus walked slightly behind Sir Howard at all times. This was the case in entering and exiting rooms and vehicles as well. Finally, when speaking to his wife in front of other people, Sir Howard seemed to speak very bluntly. Needless to say, there were several signs of affection and admiration between the couple and never open disrespect.

Is Domestic Violence an Issue in Montserrat?

During our stay on Montserrat, there was no noticeable signs of domestic violence. However, again, in the Caribbean in general domestic violence is on the rise.
A Guardian newspaper article indicated that in 1998 some 100 women were murdered in Jamaica and that most of the deaths occurred “as a result of domestic violence.” In that same year 109 rapes were reported and almost 4,000 cases of assault against women, the article said.

In Trinidad and Tobago, incidents against women and children are also on the rise. In 1997, 83 percent of the 12 persons who were murdered as a result of domestic violence were women. In 1998, 61 of the 23 persons killed were women.

Statistics like these are evident in all Caribbean nations. We were unable to find any statistics on domestic violence in Montserrat. Perhaps if we were able to stay in Montserrat for a greater period of time we would notice some trends similar to those of its Caribbean neighbors.

Because of scary increases in domestic violence, members of Caricom have created the “Charter of Civil Society for the Caribbean Community.” This document outlines the illegality of domestic violence and the measures governments may take in response to.
Statistics courtesy of http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/43/117.html

Breaking Gender Barriers: A Case Study

One woman has broken the traditional boundary for gender roles. She is a 38-year old single mother of two living on Montserrat. She is a firefighter and a taxi driver. Being a female in a predominately male field, she has felt the effects of job discrimination. When asked about being the minority gender she says, “It’s tough rubbing shoulders with the guys but I said I got to stomach and stand up tall” (5). This woman is the first female firefighter on the island of Montserrat. She is the only female out of three who work at the station who does everything the men do: upscale towers, drive the tenders, and Search and Rescue. In fact, she claims she does these things better than most of the male officers. When asked about discriminated against on the job, this woman replies:

I don’t know if I should, you know, accept the word discriminate but on the job, because I do the same work as the men, they feel sort of threatened because it is a fact that I can drive the tenders much better than some of the officers. It is a fact that I do the up scaling and some of the officers are scared. It is a fact that I do a number of things and you know, all human beings don’t have the same strength mentally, so they get intimidated when I do these kind of things and that a male is you know…So that is where the pressure comes in. (7)

Although this woman faces job discrimination, she is an excellent example of improving gender relations on the island. Because of economic transformations, she was able to get a job typically reserved for men. Also, she has led the way for two other women to enter this field. She shows the strength of women on the island, no only by holding this job, but also by being the sole provider for her family. This woman is an excellent example of improving gender relations and roles on the island of Montserrat.

Personal Interview. Conducted 18 January 2005, St. Peter’s Montserrat.

 

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