Rights of Jamaican Women: Speech
WMNST 310
Professor Jessica Nare, 2013
"Why treat us inhuman, Just because we 're only woman?
Don 't treat us inhuman, Just because we 're only woman.
We 're not weak, We are strong. We 've been held back. For too long
...We 've got our God-given talents just like you.
Open the door and let us through..." Song sung by Judy Mowatt
Why Aren’t “Jamaican” Us Equals: Women’s Right in Jamaica
The powerful song lyrics quoted above sadly and accurately capture the intense desire Jamaican women have for gender equality and the opposition they face daily in their quest for it. They are currently waging a battle to have the same opportunities for advancement that men in Jamaican society possess in Jamaican. Of the many issues facing women in Jamaica, three are considered the focal points for societal advancement: political, educational, and economic equality and opportunities. These are the stepping stones that women must climb in order to attain their rightful place as society’s equals to men. Only when women have this status can they truly contribute to Jamaica’s development and prosperity.
From Jamaica’s original inhabitants, the Arawak Indian, to the colonial history of slavery where men and women were considered equals in the eyes of the slave-owners, to the British colonization of the island; Jamaica has endured a western education of ideals via European colonization, religions and ideals. As a growing mulatto class emerged, so did the Jamaican’s desire for decolonization. Dissatisfaction over colonial rules and racist factors begat a desire for freedom and instigated a rise in nationalism. A growing working class desired to protect their benefits and demanded independence. Between 1944 and 1962 Jamaica was striving for constitutional decolonization. These fights for freedom and independence, waged mainly by men, created the setting for women to assume their rightful place on the political, educational, and economical platform for realizing gender
Professor Jessica Nare, 2013
"Why treat us inhuman, Just because we 're only woman?
Don 't treat us inhuman, Just because we 're only woman.
We 're not weak, We are strong. We 've been held back. For too long
...We 've got our God-given talents just like you.
Open the door and let us through..." Song sung by Judy Mowatt
Why Aren’t “Jamaican” Us Equals: Women’s Right in Jamaica
The powerful song lyrics quoted above sadly and accurately capture the intense desire Jamaican women have for gender equality and the opposition they face daily in their quest for it. They are currently waging a battle to have the same opportunities for advancement that men in Jamaican society possess in Jamaican. Of the many issues facing women in Jamaica, three are considered the focal points for societal advancement: political, educational, and economic equality and opportunities. These are the stepping stones that women must climb in order to attain their rightful place as society’s equals to men. Only when women have this status can they truly contribute to Jamaica’s development and prosperity.
From Jamaica’s original inhabitants, the Arawak Indian, to the colonial history of slavery where men and women were considered equals in the eyes of the slave-owners, to the British colonization of the island; Jamaica has endured a western education of ideals via European colonization, religions and ideals. As a growing mulatto class emerged, so did the Jamaican’s desire for decolonization. Dissatisfaction over colonial rules and racist factors begat a desire for freedom and instigated a rise in nationalism. A growing working class desired to protect their benefits and demanded independence. Between 1944 and 1962 Jamaica was striving for constitutional decolonization. These fights for freedom and independence, waged mainly by men, created the setting for women to assume their rightful place on the political, educational, and economical platform for realizing gender
Bibliography: 11. (Women’s Manifesto, 2002)