THE need for a gender analysis to be maintained in the pursuit of change was a focal point during the last Saturday validation of the Enhanced Public Trust Security and Inclusion (EPTSI) project survey. Ratified by a cross-section of stakeholders, the EPTSI baseline study targeted 1,000 persons in Regions Three (West Demerara/Essequibo Islands), Four (Demerara/Mahaica), Five (Mahaica/Berbice), Six (East Berbice/Corentyne) and Ten (Upper Demerara/ Berbice).

Fifty-eight questions were posed to respondents in the exercise undertaken by the University of the West Indies (UWI) St. Augustine Campus in Trinidad and Tobago, after being commissioned by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The objective, on Saturday, was to highlight some of the pertinent issues that arose during the consultancy and, based on the results, inform activities at community level to affect change.

UWI Professor Jane Parpart, Graduate Coordinator at the Centre for Gender and Development Studies, reiterated the necessity for the gender based process.

“People tend to think that gender equals women or women and men. Gender is not women and men, that is sex. Gender refers to the ideas and practices that are associated with being masculine or feminine,” she explained.

Acknowledging that the ideas and practices do vary, Parpart said they play an important part in the way people are allocated status, power and material resources.

She added that the ideas, attitudes, assumptions and practices are much embedded in, often times, an unconscious way.

“They play a very strong role in the way people make decisions. Decisions whether to go into crime or not, to hit their wives or not. They are often simple but not recognised,” Parpart said.

Turning her attention to findings of the survey, she said women’s training has historically revolved around vocational and traditional skill areas such as fabric art, cookery, cake decorating and the like.

She said there is a need to evolve from this type of training and pursue non-traditional income generating skills to prevent the perpetuation of employable unskilled and semi-skilled women.

“The survey replicated the assumption that women do cakes and baking and men do mechanics,” Parpart said, noting that there are a number of elements which need to be factored into training programmes.

In the case of women, for example, she said issues to be included are unplanned pregnancies and early sexual activity, prostitution, domestic violence, sexual abuse and education.

Freedom

“Often, training does not consider the fact that women or men, who are doing household jobs, like caring for the children, are not going to have the kind of freedom to move around. There are going to be times of the day when they can’t be anywhere but home with the children,” Parpart said.

She said this needs to be worked into training because, at present, it rarely is.

Relative to young men, the compilation said they do not consider an education as a means through which they can elevate themselves and recommendations were made surrounding finding ways to encourage boys to participate more meaningfully.

“The training for men has ignored the fact that they want to do jobs that they see as properly masculine. They also expect to make enough money to do that if they can’t they feel frustrated,” Parpart said.

According to her, the search for masculinity turning up nothing is what drives young men to crime.

The compendium also highlighted the fact that, as it stands, women are more responsive and responsible for dealing with issues of the family and education.

“It is apparent that boys lag behind girls in the education system and, by extension, the working environment also. For adolescent boys, sports are a big pull and, in some cases, it is the only activity that can bring young boys and fathers together,” the report said.

Crime and conflict are much gendered, Parpart said, adding that this is something that is not portrayed clearly.

On the issue of security and conflict, it was found that there exists a dilemma with respect to employment among the Guyanese population, especially the youth.

There are insufficient jobs available and it was stated as source of conflict amongst the populace, both males and females.

“Ninety seven per cent of crimes are perpetrated by young males,” Parpart said, noting that, for women, crime is based on cars, cash and cell phones.

She said there is the tendency of most to not ask questions as to the role gender plays in conflicts but it was gleaned that, though training is being offered from various organisations, it must ensure a greater chance at employment.

“The training programmers being offered need to be diversified from the traditionally offered craft, for example, that are available for women,” the report said, adding that, among both males and females who made use of the training, most exhibited a lack of readiness for employment.

Important

The survey also revealed that access to micro-credit was deemed important by both sexes as it could be a source of empowerment and employment and the more financing is available to the young population, the less likely there would be incidents of conflict and violence in the communities.

It would also reduce unemployment issue.

Parpart commented: “The current inequalities and the pressure put on Guyana by the economic difficulties often play out in gendered ways.”

Another point she noted was the fact that the ethnic composition of the population has to be taken into account when dealing with gender issues as there is a notable difference in opinion between Indo-Guyanese and Afro-Guyanese.

About social cohesion, Parpart said an important point to remember is that difference around gender and sexuality can be flashpoints that form the base of real conflicts.

“Guyanese, on a day to day basis, seem to get along very well. They seem to work out life pretty well on a daily basis,” she said, but remarked that poverty and unemployment are undermining social cohesion among youth.

Parpart said, primary amongst the recommendations to address gender based issues is the need to have a training for the needs of the individual and gender as well as an apprenticeship period to assist women in transition from being trained.

“I think women and men need to understand more about their assumptions about how gender influences practices,” she said.

Parpart said issues of gender have been the cross-cutting theme throughout the project and, as intimated through the preliminary consultations with members of both the public and private sectors, the survey and the focus groups, it was found that a gender-focused approach is essential to treating with each element, including the problems of unemployment, poverty, security, conflict, access to skills training, social cohesion and inclusion.