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.