Gender Roles In Jamaica

Gender roles in Jamaica were very rigid and stereotypical in the past, commonly including the notions that men were superior to women because men play the role of breadwinners, the main decision makers and the masculine force and are to take charge of their women etc. As stated by (Push For Greater Gender Equality! 2012) “Being masculine is associated with being 'naturally ' aggressive, rough, and controlling over the economy, politics and society. Being feminine is associated with being emotional, submissive and subordinate.” This socialization of gender roles has further worsened the inequality of gender roles in our country.

“In Jamaica Pressure to publicly define themselves as “real” men can lead boys to exaggerate their masculinity

In today’s society, gender roles are now distributed more equally, and discrimination on the basis of gender has seen a marginal decrease. Burke 2012 states, “In this new age, men are often "house-husbands" while their wives go out to work. Many women who do things typically associated with men are as muscular as men, and indeed look like men. There are policewomen and female soldiers who are rougher than the men.” This shows that there are many male dominated activities that are now being pursued by females. These new developments and changes in gender roles have aided in the fight to have gender inequality and discrimination discontinued both in society and the workplace. In order to rid ourselves of the issue of gender roles and inequality, we need to redefine our gender roles. When raising children, ensure that they have the freedom of choice as to the gender role they want to play. For example, do not ban girls from football or becoming officers or soldiers. Also, culture our young men to know that masculinity isn’t exhibited by roughness of treating a woman or roughness of intercourse. Encourage them to be intimate, to show affection an emotion, and to treat women with respect. Therefore, it is very evident that the allocation and socialization of gender roles in Jamaica is very important, as these gender roles may lead to inequality. Therefore, our Caribbean culture with regards to allocation of gender roles

These conventions are all centered around the protection of women and eliminating gender based discrimination. In order to ensure that “Women’s Rights are Human Rights” is widely accepted in Jamaica, we need parliament to sign and ratify the remaining conventions that would help to enforce the belief. Some of these conventions that are not signed or ratified include the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, which is centered on recognizing the competence of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in order to receive and contemplate complaints from individuals or groups within its jurisdiction. Signing this Convention and implementing it could further help to solidify the belief that “Women’s Rights are Human Rights”

Therefore, to conclude, “Women’s Rights are Human Rights,” and these rights deserve respect. In order to achieve gender equality with regards to women’s rights, we have to redefine our gender roles and how these roles are socialized, eliminate the historical inequality b providing better and equal options economically and socially for women, and detach from the belief that our religious culture should exhibit male dominance. You, our government needs to sign, ratify and implement the other conventions for women’s rights, in order to create a more equal nation for our