Page 12 - CAPE Caribbean Studies Study Guide Sample_Neat

2.2 Factors that promote or hinder

development I: gender inequality

Learning outcomes Shifting gender roles in society

On completion of this section you Gender inequality is the discrimination of women and girls in any area
should be able to: of public life. In addressing gender inequality through development,
governments and organisations focus on the following:
■ identify the changing role of
women in contemporary society ■ Reproductive health, measured by the material mortality ratio and the

■ assess ways in which gender adolescent birth rate.
inequality hinders development. ■ Empowerment and representation in political life and achievements in
education.
■ Female participation in the labour market.
In recent times women have been seen as a productive part of a country’s
✓ Exam tip workforce, allowing them to perform the same duties as their male

counterparts at work. This allows equality between the genders and women
You are expected to make a link receive the same treatment as men.
between gender equality and its
implications on development. To Women have now gained advancement in society through meritocracy, that is,
do this, you should look at how based on their education and training or skills. Many women have gained entry
gender roles are shifting and then into educational institutions and training programmes in order, like men, to
investigate how women contribute become more skilled in their work.
to development.
The rise of feminist groups has given a voice to oppressed women. These
groups have rallied on behalf of women to highlight the numerous injustices
against women in society.
Did you know?
Due to major societal changes such as industrialisation and the increase in
The ‘glass ceiling’ syndrome is the number of matriarchal families, the roles of women in the family have
a situation where women in the changed significantly. Women have moved away from the traditional role of
workplace are unable to attain caretaker of the household to being major income earners – sometimes the
top positions (e.g. supervisors, only income earner in the family.
chairperson).
How gender inequality hinders development

Even though women have gained mobility through meritocracy, they still face
✓ Exam tip gender inequality in the workplace.

One form of inequality that exists in the workplace relates to wages. For
You need to be able to identify at example, both men and women may perform the same tasks, but men tend
least two Caribbean territories and to receive a higher wage than women. It may be argued that the difference in
assess the ways in which gender earnings is due to gender.
inequality has been a barrier to
development in each. Traditional customs and belief systems have hindered development by
discriminating against and marginalising women. In keeping with tradition,
some people believe that women should work only in the household, denying
women the opportunity to hold high positions in society.
Women may face the issue of sexual harassment at work. Sexual harassment
may come in many forms, such as unwanted verbal or non-verbal advances by
men to the female employees.
Women make up a large percentage of the labour force, but if they are
discriminated against then the human resources of an economy are

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