Women's Movement, Anglophone Caribbean

Since the late nineteenth century, women in the Anglophone Caribbean have demanded greater social, economic, and political rights by petitioning government officials, marching collectively for food and relief work, taking part in mass strikes and public demonstrations, organizing labor unions and political organizations, launching far-reaching public education campaigns, and participating in Marxist-oriented revolutionary struggles. Although historiography on protest politics in the region focuses overwhelmingly on the contributions of charismatic male trade union leaders and political figures, feminist historians and sociologists since the 1970s have convincingly challenged notions of female docility by highlighting the critical contributions of female activists. While the degree to which women have been involved in protest movements varies significantly by country and historical period, Anglophone Caribbean women have actively participated in all of the major social and political struggles of the past century, while also organizing autonomously to promote women's rights and gender equality.