The Changing Roles of Women in a West Indian Agricultural Community

Abstract

The West Indies are a cresent shaped chain of islands in the Eastern Caribbean, stretching from the northern tip of South America to Puerto Rico. St. Vincent is one of the Windward Islands, which are the most southerly group. The island is eighteen miles long, and eleven miles at its widest point. Small villages are scattered throughout St. Vincent and are connected to Kingstown, the island's capital, by poorly paved roads winding through the mountainous countryside. The tropical climate and beautiful scenery attract numerous tourists who bask in the sun on the island's white sand beaches. The bronzed woman in a tiny bikini, with flowers in her hair and coconut drink in hand, is the picture most North Americans have of the Caribbean. Nothing clashes more dramatically with this picture of the tourist, than the inhabitants of the North-West region of St. Vincent. It is in this impoverished area of the "north-leeward", that this study of Green Hill takes place.