Has women's liberation hit Jamaica?

[Tropicana]

In terms of careers, I would say absolutely. In fact, I remember people saying that Jamaican women were ahead of White women in the USA and "we noh need no women's liberation". For sure, Jamaican women have access to a wide range of educational programmes and career opportunities. I am pleased to see women moving into typically male careers like construction and taxi driving.

In terms of relationships and marriage....I don't think so. Refer to the child chick main chick discussion. When women are at risk of contracting HIV because their partners can't keep it in their pants....trust me we need women's liberation. When so many women are being pressured into sex prematurely, having children and stuck taking care of the children while the man "digs off" ....trust me we need women's liberation.When men still think in terms like man's job and women's job....trust me we need women's liberation. When man tink dem too good fe change baby nappy....trust me we need women's liberation. When man and ooman both wuk and still im feel im ave a right fe come 'ome and cock up im foot while she work out her soul case....trust me we need women's liberation

We won't even get into domestic abuse (physical), rape or women, or sexual abuse of girls in this discussion but in these areas ....trust me we need women's liberation.

[Tropicana]

One POV:

THERE was a time when women were oppressed just about everywhere in the world. Today, women can vote and this has been so from 1919 in England and has been completely so from 1920 in the United States of America (some states having women's suffrage before this date).Then, in the Second World War, when the men went to the front line of the battle, the women had to do all the jobs that the men previously did. When the men came back for their jobs in Europe and in the USA it was difficult to get the jobs back. Eventually the women who preferred to be men took over. In the 1960s would come the Women's Liberation Movement.
From the days of Franklin Roosevelt, and the role that his wife Eleanor played in liberation of women in America, the so-called minority groups coalesced. This meant that the blacks, the Hispanics, the women's groups, and the gays came together on the condition that each group got 'something' in terms of their own agendas. The rest is history.
And here is the contradiction. Those who wish to preserve the natural order in gender-related matters look to the African motherland at all times, while the unnatural state of gender affairs in the West is tied into the liberation of the oppressed. Yes, many African societies are matriarchal, but the role of the men in traditional African societies is clearly defined.
In Jamaica, the greatest amount of oppression of women today is felt by domestic helpers, as they have no real bargaining power. In recent times I have heard the good news that the Jamaica Association of Household Workers was revived. But most women who speak in favour of gender equality tend to forget the large group of domestic helpers, which mainly comprises of women. The issue of women's rights is in the news because Senator Imani Duncan-Price spoke in the Senate in favour of gender quotas. She believes that the time is well past for there to be gender quotas in Jamaica's Parliament. I can understand the need for quotas in countries where women have no say in anything.
But is this true of Jamaica where the prime minister, the chief justice, the director of public prosecutions, and several other high-ranking people are women? In Jamaica, because of our unfortunate history, women are both mothers and fathers in families and they command a respect as mothers that is perhaps not equalled anywhere in the world.
In any case, should women's rights be so exaggerated to the point that Jamaica looks, in human terms, like Sodom and Gomorrah before the destruction? Already this is the scenario in New Kingston at nights. Should a woman need to act like a man to be recognised? The Blessed Virgin Mary was great because she said "yes" to the Lord. The Roman Catholic Church celebrated the Feast of the Annunciation this past Tuesday. On that day, the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would conceive a son.
Blessed Pope John Paul II wrote that, as important as gender equality and equal opportunity might be, we should be careful that we do not to take away the differences between men and women. I am convinced that the pre-occupation with the relatively few paedophile priests, in recent years, was really a distraction so that others outside of the Roman Catholic Church could expand their perversion.
Look at the women footballers with more muscles than weightlifting men. When I was a child, women police dealt with women crimes. Today, they do the rough work among men criminals and many of them actually look like men. The police could well advertise for women police recruits by writing "only tomboys or 'man-royals' need apply".
Some women with lesbian tendencies will say that I feel threatened, and they are right. Indeed, if men do not feel threatened by what is happening, then something would be wrong. In any event, when I see the amount of muscles on a woman who has gone out of her way to be excessive in physique I feel more sickened than threatened.
I do not judge anyone, and I do not condemn homosexuals, but they should not be allowed to flaunt their lifestyle. I believe there should be a law to stop the unnatural acts of masculinising our girls and feminising our boys.
When the women act and dress like men, it means that more men's clothing will be made. When the men act like women, it means more earrings, lipstick, and more women's clothing. True, this means more employment and more 'dollars will run', but is this what we want? Is this a part of Vision 2030?
It was only last week that a taxi driver told me that he previously worked at a bauxite company and was shocked at meal time in the canteen when the workers took off their helmets. Most of them were women. Is this what we want? Can a natural man be attracted to a woman who looks and acts like a man?
Must equality be so construed that men cannot even meet as an association? Why is it that it is perfectly all right for women to meet as an association, but never the men? While it is not yet at this stage it certainly seems to be heading in this direction. Men have a need to meet as men, so more men will take to the bars and to men's groups that are frowned upon by some.
Are we to be told that we better wake up and smell the coffee, and that we must 'come into the 21st century' and simply accept this state of affairs? Do we all have to accept this just because we are in the 21st century?
Eight years ago, in 2006, I composed the tune Man fi look like man. The fact that only Mutabaruka plays it speaks volumes of the electronic media. You might say that not every one got a copy of the soundtrack, but if they were interested they would have found a way to do so.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/columns/Is-this-what-we-want-_16329161

[blugiant]

ooman libarations a oyinbo supremacee ting

[Tropicana]

Unflippinbelievable! What century do you think this is anyway, the Middle Ages?

[Tropicana]

Still can't believe there is still so much backward thinking.....and the women subscribe to it too.

No wondah all de cousin dem a yawd ave man and de cousin dem a foreign a struggle fe find man.

Think I will look for a Scandinavian man. Apparently they are much more progressive when it comes to de roles of men and women. In fact some of the Scandinavian ooman dem a look elsewhere as they feel the men are not macho enough.

SWEDISH FEMINISTS ARE SO BORED THEY’RE TELLING MEN HOW TO SIT ON THE BUS

Sweden has a reputation as having the most equal relations between the sexes in the world—it’s a place where male politicians are voted "woman of the year" by feminists, where young dads on paternity leave take toddlers for play dates while their wives work, where a preschool can casually ban gendered pronouns. A recent World Economic Forum report claimed Sweden is the most gender equal country in the world.Yet some Swedish women apparently think that the image of the Nordic country as a feminist's paradise is just a veneer hiding deep-seated misogyny. Their evidence? Men slouching and taking up more than one seat on buses, trains, and subways.
To counter this "normalized expression of power" (that’s what they call slouching), a group of firebrand feminists have set up a blog called "Macho i Kollektivtrafiken" ("Macho in Public Transport"), encouraging readers to send in sneaky snaps of men in relaxed poses. The aim is to spread awareness of a "symbolic and active recreation not just of power, but of a stereotypical form of masculinity."

http://www.vice.com/read/swedish-feminists-are-so-bored-theyre-telling-men-how-to-sit-on-the-bus

[Tropicana]

What it means to be male: from macho Scandinavians to workaholic British dads

From Sweden to South Africa, masculine norms are shifting. Theo Merz analyses new research which reveals how men's roles and expectations are changing, all over the world


“This isn’t our fathers’ world, so what is it?” asks Gary Barker of the Promundo Institute, who has led research into what it means to ‘be a man’ across the globe.

According to his research for the Brazil-based institute (which aims to "transform gender norms and power relations within key institutions"), stereotypically macho Latin Americans are now increasingly taking on childcare duties; while those in equality-driven Scandinavian countries are wondering whether their vision of masculinity is really what men (or women) want.

Here, Barker explains to Telegraph Menhow the state of masculinity around the globe in shifting.

Brazil

“It’s true that there’s still a macho culture in Brazil and other parts of Latin America, but this is changing. There’s been tremendous policy advances in Brazil, and there’s everyday sexism that’s just not allowed any more.

“There’s a growing acceptance among men with a higher education that they will do more work in the house and look after the children.
"On the other hand, close to half the men we interviewed said they had paid for sex in their life - compared to around 10 per cent of men in our other international studies. Brazilian men also had one of the highest rates of binge drinking in any country we looked at.
“There’s been a lot of effort to enforce stricter laws regarding violence against women, but we found that most men perceive those moves negatively: up to 80 per cent of men are opposed to a law making it illegal for a man to physically abuse his wife. They say it would make it too easy for charges to be brought against men.”
Snapshot in stats:
- 60 per cent of Brazilian men said they do as much or more housework as their partner
- Only 26 per cent of women in the country agreed
- 24 per cent of men admitted they have been physically violent towards a female partner
Scandinavia
"The amount men participate in childcare has slipped slightly in recent years, but they still have the gold standard in the world of an expectation that men will contribute around the home.
"The Norwegian Prime Minister had his Justice and Family Affairs ministers on paternity leave at the same time a couple of years ago and there was a photo in the papers of him holding their two babies. The message was: take your paternity leave, your jobs will be waiting for you when you come back. I thought, ‘wow, is there anywhere else in the world where you'd have that?’
“On the other hand, a lot of what I hear younger men talking about is how it can feel like a politically-correct straitjacket. They're so expected to be these gender-equitable Nordics that they feel like they’re being policed the whole time.
“We even hear Norwegian and Swedish women say: ‘We’re not so sure that soft masculinity is everything we want.' We have to be careful that equality in certain things doesn’t mean some kind of androgyny.
"I think there’s some deep identity confusion around whether a man can both hunt and push a pram in Scandinavia."
Snapshot in stats:
- 15 per cent of men in Norway said they work less than a normal working week to spend more time with their family
- 58 per cent of young men said gender equality has now gone far enough

- 13 per cent of those surveyed rated themselves as "very masculine". Most (63 per cent) said they were "rather masculine".

Britain
“The data suggests that, for its income and living levels, Britain should be more like the Scandinavian states in terms of gender equality. But studies show that British men do a lower proportion of domestic work than their Scandinavian counterparts, and are less involved in childcare. Anecdotally, you notice a lot more men pushing prams around Oslo and Stockholm than you do in London.
“The UK does have progressive social policies, but the work-life balance reminds me of the US; there’s still quite a masculine, office-based work culture. Of men with children under the age of six, 90 per cent are working, compared with 62 per cent of women."
Snapshot in stats:
- British men do 27 per cent of cooking and household chores
- In Sweden, that figure is 37 per cent

- In one study, 25 per cent of boys said they would like to work in a caring profession, but only 2 per cent were offered the opportunity to explore this option by career advisors

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/thinking-man/10375741/What-it-means-to-be-male-from-macho-Scandinavians-to-workaholic-British-dads.html

[Tropicana]

Is this what we want?


Michael BURKE

THERE was a time when women were oppressed just about everywhere in the world. Today, women can vote and this has been so from 1919 in England and has been completely so from 1920 in the United States of America (some states having women's suffrage before this date).Then, in the Second World War, when the men went to the front line of the battle, the women had to do all the jobs that the men previously did. When the men came back for their jobs in Europe and in the USA it was difficult to get the jobs back. Eventually the women who preferred to be men took over. In the 1960s would come the Women's Liberation Movement.
From the days of Franklin Roosevelt, and the role that his wife Eleanor played in liberation of women in America, the so-called minority groups coalesced. This meant that the blacks, the Hispanics, the women's groups, and the gays came together on the condition that each group got 'something' in terms of their own agendas. The rest is history.
And here is the contradiction. Those who wish to preserve the natural order in gender-related matters look to the African motherland at all times, while the unnatural state of gender affairs in the West is tied into the liberation of the oppressed. Yes, many African societies are matriarchal, but the role of the men in traditional African societies is clearly defined.
In Jamaica, the greatest amount of oppression of women today is felt by domestic helpers, as they have no real bargaining power. In recent times I have heard the good news that the Jamaica Association of Household Workers was revived. But most women who speak in favour of gender equality tend to forget the large group of domestic helpers, which mainly comprises of women. The issue of women's rights is in the news because Senator Imani Duncan-Price spoke in the Senate in favour of gender quotas. She believes that the time is well past for there to be gender quotas in Jamaica's Parliament. I can understand the need for quotas in countries where women have no say in anything.
But is this true of Jamaica where the prime minister, the chief justice, the director of public prosecutions, and several other high-ranking people are women? In Jamaica, because of our unfortunate history, women are both mothers and fathers in families and they command a respect as mothers that is perhaps not equalled anywhere in the world.
In any case, should women's rights be so exaggerated to the point that Jamaica looks, in human terms, like Sodom and Gomorrah before the destruction? Already this is the scenario in New Kingston at nights. Should a woman need to act like a man to be recognised? The Blessed Virgin Mary was great because she said "yes" to the Lord. The Roman Catholic Church celebrated the Feast of the Annunciation this past Tuesday. On that day, the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would conceive a son.
Blessed Pope John Paul II wrote that, as important as gender equality and equal opportunity might be, we should be careful that we do not to take away the differences between men and women. I am convinced that the pre-occupation with the relatively few paedophile priests, in recent years, was really a distraction so that others outside of the Roman Catholic Church could expand their perversion.
Look at the women footballers with more muscles than weightlifting men. When I was a child, women police dealt with women crimes. Today, they do the rough work among men criminals and many of them actually look like men. The police could well advertise for women police recruits by writing "only tomboys or 'man-royals' need apply".
Some women with lesbian tendencies will say that I feel threatened, and they are right. Indeed, if men do not feel threatened by what is happening, then something would be wrong. In any event, when I see the amount of muscles on a woman who has gone out of her way to be excessive in physique I feel more sickened than threatened.
I do not judge anyone, and I do not condemn homosexuals, but they should not be allowed to flaunt their lifestyle. I believe there should be a law to stop the unnatural acts of masculinising our girls and feminising our boys.
When the women act and dress like men, it means that more men's clothing will be made. When the men act like women, it means more earrings, lipstick, and more women's clothing. True, this means more employment and more 'dollars will run', but is this what we want? Is this a part of Vision 2030?
It was only last week that a taxi driver told me that he previously worked at a bauxite company and was shocked at meal time in the canteen when the workers took off their helmets. Most of them were women. Is this what we want? Can a natural man be attracted to a woman who looks and acts like a man?
Must equality be so construed that men cannot even meet as an association? Why is it that it is perfectly all right for women to meet as an association, but never the men? While it is not yet at this stage it certainly seems to be heading in this direction. Men have a need to meet as men, so more men will take to the bars and to men's groups that are frowned upon by some.
Are we to be told that we better wake up and smell the coffee, and that we must 'come into the 21st century' and simply accept this state of affairs? Do we all have to accept this just because we are in the 21st century?


Eight years ago, in 2006, I composed the tune Man fi look like man.

The fact that only Mutabaruka plays it speaks volumes of the electronic media. You might say that not every one got a copy of the soundtrack, but if they were interested they would have found a way to do so.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/columns/Is-this-what-we-want-_16329161