Caribbean Women at the Crossroads

Caribbean Women at the Crossroads examines the dynamics of decision-making in the lives of Caribbean women of Barbados, St Lucia and Dominica. The study uses as a base the responses from a questionnaire administered to 375 women in the three societies, together with a selected number of oral histories drawn from the sample.The aim of the study is to understand the factors that affect the decisions women make in the major events of their lives. The issue of decision-making was also conceptually linked to the process and the determinants of women's aspirations. Thus the study was concerned with the social, economic and cultural factors that influence or inhibit the choices available to women within these societies. The major finding of the study was that women find themselves faced with dilemmas of choice between career and other aspirations, which include partnership and children. Caribbean women are now at the crossroads of choice.