ORVILLE W. TAYLOR/COLUMNSITSeven days of women's issues make one 'weak'. One week is not enough to address the full range of concerns regarding women and we have a set of confused ideas and subjects. Doubtless, women are being discriminated against in the labour market and they are noticeably absent from most positions of authority. Will Portia ever get elected to the presidency of the PNP? Traditional patterns of subjugation continue and domestic violence is still a real problem for many women. (Some men get lick too!)
Because of my comments last week, persons have formed the opinion that I am stingy and perhaps anti-woman. You mad? I love women almost like food. Well, not quite since I don't eat meat and many other foods. However, I am committed to the idea of gender equality. Therefore, I resent notions of subordination.
I also am against hypocrisy. Thus, while I believe in equality of the races in access to the resources in society, I reject black superiority and discrimination against Indians, Chinese, women, men or any category of people. Therefore, I am opposed to reverse discrimination where a group that was disadvantaged gets a double benefit.
I am pleased that after 30 years of modern labour laws, sexual harassment has finally become legislated. Of course, I am concerned as to the enforceability of the proposed statute since we have not yet found a way for individual non-unionised workers to access the Industrial Disputes Tribunal (IDT) to be reinstated if unjustifiably dismissed.
This is particularly so for domestic workers. How does a household worker drag her employer before the IDT or a court when she is living in his house? OK, I will not be sexist and offend JFLAG, so I recognise that the harassment can be also she/she and him/him. In our CARICOM neighbours Trinidad and Tobago, household workers are not considered workers under their Industrial Relations Act (IRA). Thus, like Jamaican workers, they cannot utilise the Industrial Court.
Anyway, why is the minister responsible for women's affairs not a woman? Although the minister, like myself does not have a very deep voice, this does not soften the impact. Personally, I would have liked to see Maxine Henry Wilson or 'Sista P' have the portfolio. Does this suggest something about the dynamics of gender in the PNP? For the record, the JLP can't say much either because there was no female in their leadership race.
sexual equality
As I said last week, we still have not decided whether we want women to be equals or dependants. In a relationship, a woman must be the husband's 'right hand'. Conversely, if not the entire hand, he must at least be her 'fingers'. Single people should appreciate this too.
Women have struggled for equitable treatment since "John was a bwoy." Or better, since Joan was a girl. But where did this idea of sexual equality come from?
As far back as 1650 Anne Bradstreet raised the subject in her The Tenth Muse. At that time, there was the Puritan Revolution in England and there was a resurgence of a biblical pure form of Christian ethic. Curiously, the principles of the Bible have been used as foundations for many of the concepts of human rights and equality; "Love thy neighbour as thyself" and "Do unto others as they should do unto you."
Yet, what we have been unwilling to admit is that the Bible, or what is left of it after editorial interventions by the Church and state, is itself a sexist piece of work. I am not going to touch the creation story but Genesis 2:5 of the New International Version (NIV) makes it clear that woman was made as a 'suitable helper' for man, not his equal. If there is any doubt, Chapter 3:16 declares that her "desire will be for her husband, and he shall rule over" her. All of the Old Testament laws reinforced female subordination and inferiority. Nothing prevented a man from having concubines so as to have sex outside of wedlock. On the other hand, women could not have 'mancubines', as adultery in the Old Testa-ment is about having sex with another man's wife not another woman's husband. A woman was property, bought from her family, master or clan for a dowry or fee. Therefore, the tenth commandment classifies her along with the neighbour's house and ass, as property not to covet.
According to the Bible, a menstruating woman is unclean and must be avoided. Clearly, this includes allusions in public forums. Thus, the embattled minister now realises that references to a man's time of the month do not imply gender equality.
Even in the New Testament, nothing suggests that a woman is a man's equal. I am still trying to find a scriptural basis for female pastors. Show me one please!
outdated values
After three centuries of activism for equal rights and status for women the old habits die hard. Not only do men consider women their property and subordinates as well as meat to be bought but worse of all, too many women still feel so. It is these attitudes that I am fighting against because many of the issues that we have not yet worked out between the sexes are confounded by these outdated values.
It is therefore saddening to see that our sister newspaper carried a story that female university students were prostituting themselves, although it is not really research since the reporter only interviewed two students in two universities. By the way, aren't there any stories about 'licky licky' men whose "boyfriends" are paying their way too?
Finally, last week, a male physician was accused of violating a female patient. Rape is a 'heinous' crime (the 'h' is silent if it is a male victim.) It is the worst form of gender subordination.
Dr. Orville Taylor is a lecturer in the Department of Sociology, Psychology and Social Work at UWI, Mona.
