Women & The Workplace In Trinidad & Tobago

 STILL A MANS WORLD ? & HAVE WORKING WOMEN CHANGED GENDER DYNAMICS ?




Women have made many gains in the last three decades: they now join men as lawyers, judges, politicians, civil servants, journalists, and even calypsonians. However, despite generally better educational levels, women earn less than men, especially in private industry. Men dominate as artisans, mechanics, and oilfield riggers. Many occupations are dominated by women, such as domestic service, sales, and some light manufacturing. Many women are micro-enterprise owners.

Indeed to serve as a bitter pill to the dreams of many involved, although there has been a space for equality within education thus allowing more women access to jobs, in Trinidad men continue to earn more than they do. In most sectors of the workforce in Trinidad men earn on average 21% more in salary than that of the women - this in cases despite doing the same work. Some women view this a a blatant act of sexism where the women is marginalized to the will and power of a patriarchal system. This adding to the modern phenomenon of is it still a man's world despite more women being in the workforce. The answer to that is uncertain but what is certain however in Trinidad and Tobago is that despite an influx of female power in the workplace and the rise of women rights men still are above them in salary.

This gender wage gap as described by some causes a division within both groups and tension within the workplace. Women feel undermined and devalued when compared to her male counterpart despite having the same qualifications as he does. It negatively affects their interrelationships and how one party views the other and in turn views themselves. Additionally, power differentials remain salient in different contexts. Afro-Trinidadian women enjoy some autonomy and power within domestic domains and are often heads of households. Women are said to dominate in "playin' mas'," participating in Carnival, where they demonstrate an assertive sexuality. Women are marginalized from leadership positions in the established churches, Hinduism, and Islam, but are influential in the Afro-Christian sects. Women run the sou-sou informal rotating credit associations. An active women's movement has put domestic violence, rape, and workplace sexual harassment on the public agenda. Women have made leaps and bounds where society viz the workplace, education and employment is concerned however despite their new feats men still control or show control in a dominant way.