Kingston, Jamaica – May 1, 2012: Professor Barbara Bailey, Gender Consultant and former Director of the Institute for Gender and Development Studies at The University of the West Indies is questioning whether access to education by itself will serve the purpose of empowering women and attaining gender equity. Professor Bailey opines that until there is a shift in the patriarchal ideology that underpins the understanding of masculine and feminine roles, the discrepancy between women’s educational achievement and their positioning in the economy will remain askew.
"Although there have been driving forces pushing women beyond the boundary of the private domain and an acceptance of shifting ideologies about feminine roles and functions, a concomitant shift has not occurred in the ideologies undergirding the construction of masculinity, particularly in relation to the private domain" she stressed.
Speaking at the Caribbean Regional Consultation for Civil Society Organizations on ICPD beyond 2014, held recently in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, Professor Bailey said that among the rights established and areas of focus in international agreements, including the ICPD and MDGs is the right to education, which has been largely realized by Caribbean women. Data from across the region shows that female enrolment far exceeds that of males at the upper secondary and tertiary levels. According to the 2009 Economic and Social Survey of Jamaica, women (40.07) outnumbered men (20.3) in enrolment in tertiary institutions.
"A human rights framework to education goes beyond equal access ...women should also enjoy rights withineducation- free choice of areas of study, including in science and technology and freedom from harassment and violence." Professor Bailey said. She therefore contended that "it was a violation of rights within education to channel girls away from certain areas of study, including in science and technology into areas of study and careers that are "feminized and low paying." She further declared that, "rights through education (equality of opportunity beyond school) - go well beyond a consideration of numerical gaps in enrolment - to issues of substantive equality and ways in which patriarchal norms determine gender-based inequalities in the distribution of material resources."
She noted that as a result of the persistence of these norms, although females outperformed males at all levels of Caribbean education systems, women continue to experience lower levels of employment and higher levels of unemployment; are clustered in the lowest paying sectors of Caribbean labour markets, predominate in the informal sector which is mostly unregulated and unprotected, on average earn less than men; are disproportionately represented in vulnerable areas of work and therefore are less exposed to opportunities for experiencing decent work conditions.
She therefore challenged advocates for population and development issues to be strategic and critical in their assessment of achievements under international agreements, which are arrived at through negotiation and consensus by participating States. This, she suggested, entailed ensuring a presence in international fora where developmental issues are being discussed as well as harmonization of efforts at the national level.
"Too often, the Caribbean as a region is either absent or woefully under-represented in these debates and therefore lacks voice in the negotiations. In any event, targets need to be tailored to national realities and should be seen as a guide to action rather than as prescriptive," she added.
The regional Consultation for Civil Society Organizations held in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, April 12-13 on the ICPD Beyond 2014 was organized by the Latin American and Caribbean Women's Health Network, LACWHN with support from UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund. It is one of several regional consultation events taking place as part of the ICPD Beyond 2014 review. At the end of the meeting delegates issued the Ocho Rios Declaration calling on governments to ratify, implement and enforce the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD POA).
