Women in Caribbean Politics

Historically, women have been under-represented in politics. Patriarchal political parties, debilitating customs and discriminatory selection processes, and obstructionist attitudes have generally contributed to the inability of women to enter mainstream political life in a significant way. In Women in Caribbean Politics Cynthia Barrow-Giles and her co-contributors profile 20 of the most influential women in modern Caribbean politics who have struggled and excelled, in spite of the obstacles.

Divided into four parts, this volume looks at women who led the struggle for freedom; those who agitated for equal rights and justice in the pre-independence period; postcolonial trailblazers; as well as a group which Cynthia Barrow-Giles refers to as ‘Women CEOs.’ 

Profiles
1. Queen Nanny – Jamaica 
2. Nanny Grigg – Barbados
3. Marie Philomène Roptus Born Lumina Sophie aka Surprise – Martinique
4. Edna Ermyntrude ‘Ermie’ Bourne – Barbados
5. Grace Augustin – St Lucia
6. Mabel Moir James – Dominica
7. Ivy Joshua – St Vincent and the Grenadines
8. Dame Doris Louise Johnson – The Bahamas
9. Pennelope Beckles – Trinidad and Tobago
10. Sylvia Flores – Belize 
11. Jacqueline ‘Jackie’ Creft – Grenada 
12. Dame Billie Miller – Barbados
13. Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange – Jamaica 
14. Mia Amor Mottley – Barbados 
15. Eugenia Charles – Dominica
16. The Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller – Jamaica
17. Sila María Calderón – Puerto Rico
18. Kamla Persad-Bissessar – Trinidad and Tobago
19. Janet Jagan – Guyana
20. Dame Nita Barrow – Barbados

The profiles cover women from 12 territories, with varying political, ethnic and socio-economic issues. Anyone with an interest in Caribbean Politics or Gender Studies will find Women in Caribbean Politics to be an excellent introduction. For students and teachers, it will be a valuable resource, as it highlights some of the little-known stories of Caribbean women who have set the foundation for, and continue to help to shape the identity of their nations and the region on a whole.