Women and the community

Issues of gender

We are learning to:

•compare and contrast the social development of various communities: emergent issues of gender.

Life for enslaved African women in the 19th century was a very difficult and dangerous one. Initially, they were captured in their homeland in Africa and brought over to Trinidad to work on a plantation.

Once there, they would work in the fields, preparing the land, planting, doing the harvest, and transporting and milling the same cane. Some worked as domestic staff in the plantation owner’s house, but this was hard work too, and frequently the women were subjected to sexual abuse.

After emancipation

After emancipation in 1838, the formerly enslaved people would take up peasant farming. This was not easy work either, and sometimes women would have to work on other plantations doing manual work to supplement the family’s income. The educational system gradually began to improve for women, and sometimes they could study subjects such as sewing and housekeeping.

After indentureship

After indentureship, women continued to grow crops and rear animals, while others worked as cane cutters or labourers, and they would earn less than the men for doing the same work. Educational opportunities were few, though some women did take courses in dressmaking and flower arranging.

Exercise

1. In your own words, explain why life was difficult for women in the 19th century.

2. How did women who worked as peasant farmers supplement their income?

3. What subjects were open for women to study?

Did you know...?

In 1995, the United Nations (UN) Security Council stated that: “The equal access and full participation of women in power structures and their full involvement in all efforts for the prevention and resolution of conflicts are essential for the maintenance and promotion of peace and security.”