Mallett, Marlene Rosemary (1993) Ambiguous ideology and contradictory behaviour : gender in the development of Caribbean societies : a case study of Antigua. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.
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Abstract
The main purpose of this research is to explore the interconnections between
reproduction and production, and women's roles in a wide range of social and
economic process in the Caribbean in general, and in Antigua specifically. The focus
on Antigua allows for an examination of women's integration into the social, political
and economic development of a small Caribbean territory.
Using gender theory as an analytical tool, I analyze the results of a large social survey
of Antiguan women (504), together with data obtained from my own interviews and
from a wide range of previously unavailable and unpublished secondary data. These
have enabled me to demonstrate both the contributions Antiguan women have made
to development, and the constraints which they have confronted over the period 1834-
1990.
The thesis is organized into eight chapters. Divided into two parts, it begins by
examining a wide range of sociological and anthropological theories which purport to
explain the nature of Caribbean family organization, and relations between men and
women, namely the concepts of matrifocality and male marginality. It also looks at
the utility of gender theory for analyzing Caribbean social reality. Chapter Two moves
on to look at the contemporary situation of Caribbean women, particularly with respect
to national development policy. Chapter Three then turns to the situation confronting
Antiguan women from Emancipation in 1834 up to the present.
Part Two moves away from the general Caribbean situation to an analysis of data
gathered in 1980/81 on Antiguan women by the Women in the Caribbean Project,
University of the West Indies. Chapter Four sets this data in perspective, while
Chapters Five through Seven examine in detail the impact of education, work, and the
family on women's lives. One of the major purposes of this section is to listen to what
the women themselves have to say from their own experience. This section is then
followed by a concluding chapter.
In conclusion, we see that despite new opportunities and different behavioral patterns
of women and men, Antigua is still very much a patriarchal society with power
concentrated in the hands of a few men. Women's self-perception and social
interaction continues to be mediated by their ascribed gender roles, and both young
and old women conform to traditional gender stereotypes.
It is hoped that the data generated by and included in this thesis will contribute to a
cross-cultural perspective on women in development as well as offer a critical
contribution to current and future research on Antigua.
| Item Type: | Thesis [via Doctoral College] (PhD) |
|---|---|
| Subjects: | H Social Sciences > HQ The family. Marriage. Woman H Social Sciences > HT Communities. Classes. Races |
| Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Women in development -- Antigua, Sex differences -- History -- 19th century, Sex differences -- History -- 20th century, Antigua -- Social conditions -- 20th century, Antigua -- Social life and customs |
| Official Date: | December 1993 |
| Institution: | University of Warwick |
| Theses Department: | Department of Sociology |
| Thesis Type: | PhD |
| Publication Status: | Unpublished |
| Supervisor(s)/Advisor: | Phizacklea, Annie |
| Sponsors: | University of London. Institute of Psychiatry ; University of the West Indies |
| Extent: | xii, 328 leaves |
| Language: | eng |
| URI: | https://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/59375/ |
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