JIS photo
Actor/comedien, Winston 'Bello' Black (standing), in discussion with National Youth Service (NYS) Success Programme participants on Thusday, April 12, at the Young Women's Christian's Association headquarters in St. Andrew. A recent study says young men from the inner city believe young women receive more assistance than men.

Avia Collinder, Freelance Writer

Young men in three inner-city communities believe their lives would be better off if they were women. So says a recently concluded study sponsored by the World Bank and the Jamaica Social Policy Evaluation (JASPEV).

Researchers, Dr. Kirstan Hawkins, Herbert Gayle and Horace Levy, presented their findings recently at the Terra Nova Hotel in St. Andrew.

According to the findings, women in the inner cities are more likely to be encouraged to remain in school and are seen as giving better returns on parental investment. Gayle - a lecturer in the Department of Social Sciences at the University of the West Indies, says females are seen as better for parents' investment as boys do not show the kind of effort they require, especially when it comes to school.

Receive less support

Sponsored by the World Bank and the JASPEV project, the research paper looks at how youths assess their identity, the support they receive from those in authority, as well as their relationship with the police and the implications for social policy.

Respondents from all three communities studied say males received considerably less support than females. "They agreed that the females femininity and sexuality placed them at an advantage in negotiating support. Youth argued that women can rely on men, but not the other way around," the study says.

It continues: "Young females often expressed disappointment at and sorrow for male youth of their communities. They described some of the youth as 'lost and not going anywhere, careless, irresponsible and illiterate'. They were, therefore, not fit for progressive females."

In Cool Blue (pseudonym for the rural community examined in the research), it was estimated that more than half of the young men were illiterate. It was also noted: "Most males have low self-esteem (as a result of illiteracy). They idle at school and smoke ganja. Females are more ambitious. Even after the mistake of pregnancy, they will still go back to school. They are more likely to complete high school and even college."

One young man from Harrason Gardens (pseudonym used for one of the inner-city communities) compared the luck of females and males in the following manner: "She go on the road and look depressed and get man for the day or long term. If a man does that, a woman walks past him and pats him on the shoulder."

Investments

Women, the respondent says, are also more likely to be employed, even though they share the same inner-city or rural address. According to Gayle, poor, youthful males are only employed as gardeners and security guards in "uptown Kingston".

In the rural community researched, it was is observed that among young people who were doing really well economically, were young women who had bought and sold coffee and were driving name-brand cars from the proceeds of their investments.

The article above is written in collaboration with Panos Caribbean. jamaica@panoscaribbean.org