By Carl Greaux
In St. Kitts-Nevis the general feeling is that the Federation still has far to go in correcting certain fundamental disadvantages which have for too long characterized the situation of women in our country.
The time has therefore come for the correction of the asymmetry of gender relations so detrimental not only to women but also the wider society, since this asymmetry ignores that women are the prime focus in the reconstruction of the moral, social, cultural, economic and political fabric of our country. The centrality of the position of women lies in the range of roles performed by and expected of women. Primary responsibility for child care and domestic labor within the family traditionally rests with the women. But they are also expected to engage in income earning activity in order to enable them to carry out their roles as mothers, mates and caregivers. As an expression of their own individuality and independence, they themselves desire to engage in such activity. Over sixty percent (60%) of our households depend on the income of women for their survival.
As economic conditions continue to deteriorate, this proportion is expected to increase even further. The question for the Federation is therefore not whether special policy action is necessary to improve the position of its women, but how the absence of such action will affect the stability of its society.
A gender perspective aimed at the integration and mobilization of women as full participants and beneficiaries in the development process of national (St. Kitts-Nevis) integration must be incorporated into all the federal government projects and programs. In doing so, greater attention must be paid to the questions of equality before the law, access to skills and resources, maximization of educational and training opportunities, availability of adequate healthcare and opportunity to participate in decision-making processes at all levels in all sectors.
The major elements underlying this concept of empowerment are providing women with the opportunity and knowledge to decide what is best for them and to act accordingly, secure in the knowledge of an absence of discrimination, explicit as well as implicit. This approach emphasizes organization, mobilization and a participatory work style. To be effective, it requires critical assessment of the major institutions of our society, willingness to accept change and commitment to the provision of the necessary recourses.
It is undoubtedly true that there are encouraging signs that women in St. Kitts-Nevis are assuming positions of highest leadership and responsibility in political life (Hon. Marcella Liburd), in the public and private sectors, in the judiciary (Director of Public Prosecution Paulina Hendrickson), and in the diplomatic service, in a wide range of professions which were formerly the province of males, and in a growing number of development-oriented non-governmental organizations. However, the numbers remain relatively low, the opportunities few and the obstacles, visible and invisible, many. The success of the few has served to show that equity of opportunity can enable women of the Federation to exercise their true potential in the development process.
The women of St. Kitts-Nevis are not asking for, or are they expecting, a reverse imbalance in their favor. All they wish is a fair and equitable chance to participate in and contribute to the further development of their country. For them, this is not just a call for the improvement of their own status, but rather a fundamental requirement for sustained social and economic progress for all.
