Caribbean Studies

In the Caribbean there has been a drastic shift in the relationship between men and women. Men, who were traditionally seen to be the head of the household, now have their roles taken over by the women in Caribbean society. Due to men failing to live up to their responsibilities, especially in the economic sense, the women are forced to take advantage of education, not only to better themselves but to also prove their indispensability in the social and economic framework of the society. These newly found duties are coupled with their own traditional roles as mother, nurturers and care. Women are now major contributors to their society. Women these days are more independent than in the past. There is a greater demand more from their lives and they now choose how they want to live. This could be a reason for the increase in divorces over the last half a century. This independence has also meant more single women. This shift in the relationship between men and women in the Caribbean could also be as a result of women’s movements where the view of the hegemonic femininity has affected the way in which most women are viewing their life and are becoming more like men. Women were now doing male oriented subjects such as physics, technical drawing etc., which might increase the job opportunities for these women and more women have taken advantage equal rights policies which would allow them to be treated equal to males. This paper will research how, due to educational opportunities and the development of equal rights for women, there is a radical change in the male-female relationships.
In this research paper, I will try to address problems relating to my topics and seek to answer questions that would enhance the understanding of this topic. Such questions include:
How have educational opportunities for women led to the increase of their independence and equal rights?
Why there are more single parent household and why women are the head, and if this is as result of