The Changing Dynamics of Gender in the Labour Market: A Jamaican Perspective
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17501/wcws.2018.3202Keywords:
Gender roles, patriarchy, inequalityAbstract
One of the barriers to human development is gender inequality. In many parts of the world there is a large concentration of females in non-technical service jobs, while their male counterparts are employed in more high skilled technical jobs which are associated with greater prestige and higher levels of remuneration. Nevertheless, the evidence points to a change in how gender roles are being perceived intergenerationally, at least in the case of Jamaica. Drawing on the findings from two studies (1997 and 2017) of lower and lower-middle income communities in Jamaica, along with a review of official statistics on the labour market, this paper discusses the extent to which perceptions of gender roles have remained stereotypical in regard to the household and the workplace. The paper concludes that while gender stereotypes persists the situation has been changing and gender roles are no longer seen as natural or immutable.
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