Women and the Jamaican Work Force

By: Caribbean Journal Staff - March 7, 2013

By Marcia Forbes, PhD
CJ Contributor

We Waan Jostice! Who Cares?

“We waan jostice.” This is the cry of many Jamaicans regularly shown on national television during nightly newscasts. This demand for justice (jostice in local parlance) is usually accompanied by placards, blocked roads and confrontations between Police and citizens.  At another level and largely hidden from the view of cameras, another cry for justice has been on-going. It is the cry for justice for all women in Jamaica and elsewhere and is being led by entities such as the 51% Coalition and other civil society groups.

The cries sometimes intersect and intertwine, crossing class divides as women struggle to make sense of a vicious society where they are raped and their babies killed with increasing regularity, sometimes by the very men who fathered those babies. Women in Jamaica face a tough time, although enrollment levels at universities would disguise this, as too their high-profile in “middle-management” positions.

Hustle vs Job-hunting

While the unemployment rate in Jamaica is just over 12 percent, women have a harder time finding jobs. A part of the reason for the high levels reported among women may be that they keep looking for work longer and get counted among the unemployed. T

his is unlike men, who drop out, stop looking and perhaps opt to “hustle” for a living. The way measurement is set up, once you stop looking for work you are no longer counted among the unemployed.

The unemployment rate overall is dismal but is even more so for women (16.6 percent) when the figure is disaggregated by gender.  At double that of males (8.3 percent), high female unemployment cannot be explained away by factors such as measurement idiosyncrasies. The problem reflects deep systemic biases against women.

Passing Exams for What?

Based on Labour Force data, about three-quarters of males have passed no higher exams. This compares to about half of females. However, passing exams is not helping women in Jamaica to get jobs. Not even vocational training seems to be helping them. In 2011women doubled men in this type of training and certification, 13 percent compared to only 6.7 percent of their male colleagues. Yet still we have the wide disparities in male/female employment levels.

Turning again to the Labour Force data it is clear that the men are making strides in the areas of “skilled agricultural and fishery workers,” “craft and related trades,” “plant & machine operators and assemblers” and the construction industry. Here, they substantially outstrip women in employment.

No one is advocating that women put men out of work, but surely some balance is essential if the country is to move forward. After all, it is women who mainly care for families and look after the very young and the very old. Helping women to earn a living is smart economics and critical to Jamaica’s future.

Underemployment in Productive Years

Another frightening statistic is that almost two-thirds of the underemployed fall in the 25 to 44 age range. This is usually the most productive period of one’s life. Not surprisingly, more females than males are underemployed, 54 percent compared to 46 percent in 2011. So, not only are women out of work but when they do have work it is not enough to keep them fully occupied.

Producing below one’s potential and desire breeds discontent and frustration. Not just that but this chronic underemployment can lead to laziness. Jamaica’s productivity levels have been in decline for decades. The country is increasingly unable to compete because the culture of work is foreign to so many of her citizens.

“Personal” Resignations & Sexual Harassment

One worrying trend is the extent to which women resign their jobs for what are described as ‘personal’ reasons. A snapshot from 2000 to 2011 reveals consistently higher levels of these resignations among women than men. It begs the question as to why ‘personal’ reasons are so persistent. Is sexual harassment a part of these “personal” reasons for women leaving their jobs?

In 2000, compared to 32.2 percent of women, only 17.4 percent of men resigned for personal reasons.  In 2005 it was 29.9 percent compared to only 14% of men. Then in 2009 it was 28.6 percent, versus only 10.9 percent of men.  For 2011, the figure for women who abandoned their jobs for personal reasons climbed to 32.5 percent, compared to 12.4 percent for men.

Of all the categories of reasons for being unemployed over the decade of 2000 – 2011, among women resignations driven by personal reasons consistently contributed the single largest percentage. There is a deeper story here but the data were not sufficiently forthcoming. Something was revealed, however, in one section of the Labour Force report captioned “Addressing Sexual harassment.”

Culture Holds Sway – Women Want JUSTICE!!

As the report noted, “Given deeply entrenched cultural mores regarding the interaction between males and females, it is expected that policy and legislative introductions to address sexual harassment will be a time consuming process and that required behaviour modification will be slow.”  We know this. But does anyone care enough to push against these ingrained injustices?

Where there’s a will there’s a way! Jamaicans, especially women, must muster the will and the courage to tirelessly lobby for changes and to bring justice for those who make up more than half of the population. “We want justice” must become the rallying cry of all women.

Dr Marcia Forbes, a Caribbean Journal contributor, is a media specialist, the co-owner of multimedia production company Phase 3 Productions Ltd and former Permanent Secretary in Jamaica’s Ministry of Mining and Telecommunications and later the Ministry of Energy and Mining. She is the author of Music, Media & Adolescent Sexuality in Jamaica and the recently-released Streaming: Social Media, Mobile Lifestyles.

Follow Dr Marcia Forbes on Twitter: @marciaforbes

Popular Posts w punta cana

A New All-Inclusive W Hotel Is Opening This Year in Punta Cana 

The first-ever all-inclusive W Hotel in the Caribbean is opening this year in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Caribbean Journal has learned.  The hotel, part of a broad expansion for parent company Marriott International, is on the list of expected 2024 […]


Why Grenada Is a New Caribbean Luxury Hotspot

beach house silversands

From its world-renowned chocolate to its pristine beaches to a region-leading focus on sustainability, Grenada is as fascinating and unique as destination as you’ll find in the Caribbean.  But in the last few years, the lush Eastern Caribberan island has […]


5 Adults-Only Resorts to Visit Right Now in the Caribbean 

galley bay

Sometimes you just want that extra degree of serenity, of privacy, of seclusion. There is a reason, after all, that adults-only resorts are booming in popularity, particularly in the Caribbean: travelers want to know that when they arrive, they know […]


Related Posts doctors cave beach with waves

Jamaica Adding New Automated Passport Kiosks

In a a bid to expedite processing at two of the Caribbean’s busiest airports, Jamaica is adding new automated passport control kiosks in Kingston and Montego Bay.  The new kiosks aim to “streamline passenger flow,” according to a statement from […]


The Cool List: the Coolest Hotels in the Caribbean for 2024

the cool list 2024

They’re different. They’re fun, they’re colorful, they’re unique. They’re themselves. The Caribbean has no shortage of cool hotels and in this, Caribbean Journal’s 12th annual Cool List, we highlight the places that hit you in a different way, that do […]


The 25 Best All-Inclusive Resorts in the Caribbean, from Adults-Only to Boutique

hammock cove in antigua

What is an all-inclusive resort? In recent years, the answer to that question has changed dramatically. Today, all-inclusive means a resort that is at the cutting edge of travel trends, one that is catering to the demands of a massive […]


SUBSCRIBE!

Sign up for Caribbean Journal's free newsletter for a daily dose of beaches, hotels, rum and the best Caribbean travel information on the net.


No. Thank You