No equal work or pay for TT women

ACCORDING to the recently re-leased Draft National Gender Policy and Action Plan, in terms of gender equity, Trinidad and Tobago compares favourably with other medium-income developing countries with respect to life expectancy, maternal mortality and the level of education. “However,” it adds, “negative gender ideologies and practices continue to affect gender relations as well as the overall quality of life. “This is further affected by differences of age, geographic location (urban-rural), economic status, levels of interpersonal and criminal violence and religious and ethnic factors.”

It is noted, for example, that while levels of educational attainment are relatively similar between the sexes, there are significant disparities in employment opportunities and levels of income, with TT’s women at a distinct disadvantage. The draft gender policy states: “The options for young men are still greater than for young women who do not successfully complete formal education. “Women are still excluded from most of the skilled trades except dressmaking, business studies and catering, while due to ideological and discriminatory factors, options such as auto mechanics, electrical work, refrigeration, plumbing, carpentry, masonry and so on exist for young males.”

The report also found that while there are equal levels of illiteracy, illiterate men have more opportunities for em-ployment. A National Literacy Survey done by the Adult Literacy Tutors Association (ALTA) in 1994 showed that 60 percent of TT’s illiterate males were working, while 95 percent of their female counterparts were recorded as “keeping house.” Under the heading of Employment and Economics, the draft gender policy states: “In spite of their higher educational qualifications, women continue to comprise the majority of the unemployed, underpaid in every sector of employment, except when employed by the State, and in every occupational group.”

It was further noted that long-term unemployment was a greater problem for women than for men. While youth unemployment was serious for both sexes, for males this persisted until age 30, while for females it continued until ages 31-40. In addition, older women tend to have higher unemployment rates. “This has resulted in large-scale migration of women to the United States and to a lesser extent, Canada, often leaving behind children with relatives, friends, or on their own. This has had serious implications for youth delinquency and poor educational performance and may be a serious contributor to young male criminality.

“In spite of the increases of women in the labour force therefore, there are still more men paid and self-employed than women. The number of males employed exceed that of females in every category except one, even in the state sector where the numbers of women employed have grown over the years. Women exceed men only as unpaid workers,” the report states. “In spite of the relative increases in women’s labour force participation, their high levels of educational attainment and increased participation in various professional fields, women continue to fall at the lower end of the socio-economic ladder and face discrimination in the levels of wages which accrue to them when compared to men. “No equal pay legislation exists. In all occupational groups, women still earn less than men sometimes by as much as 50 percent less,” the report states.