Haiti Women Research Paper

Global and Local Economic Forces Effects on Haitian Women This essay aims to analyze the living and working conditions of women in Haiti, with an emphasis on their treatment in sweatshops. I grew up in Haiti and witnessed first-hand how women are treated at home, at work and in society in general. To understand the topic of gender in Haiti, women’s lives must be analyzed from multiple aspects such as health, violence, political and economic status, gender roles and their culture. Women in Haiti have a life expectancy of roughly 63 years, which is below the world average life expectancy of 69 years (John Snow Research & Training Insitute). The main contributors to this short life expectancy are financial instability and the lack of health …show more content…
However, it is also clear that women tend to suffer more than men because of their inferior status in the country. This inferiority is rooted in the history of the country. Women contributed to the start of the revolution that lead to the independence of the country but rarely receive the credit they deserve (Bell). Even after the independence, laws and legislature blatantly ignored women and illustrated men as the leaders. In 1794, Polverel wrote that it was acceptable for women to receive less pay than men. Further along, such disregard for women is written in the Constitution. The Constitution states that “No one is worthy of being a Haitian, if HE is not a good father, husband and above all, a good solider.” (Garrigus). According to this passage, women should not even be considered worthy of being Haitian. It is disturbing to discover that such treatment of women is encouraged by the country’s legislature and governing bodies. At the same time, the country’s situation lines up with other countries where men wrote the laws and legislature to favor them …show more content…
It is not a local battle for the women or their advocates to lead. This is an international battle against the corporations that enable and fund these sweatshops. The corporations actively seek countries where women are desperate to seek any paying jobs. They seek to avoid strict laws of their home nations to exploit poorly written laws and uneducated women of other nations. The problem with sweatshops is purely due to these corporations. Research has shown that they are aware of what happens in their shops overseas but should to turn a blind eye. They even go to initially deny accusations of mistreatment or illegal activity only to later report that their affiliations are legal and measures have been taken to improve the conditions for women. This was the case of Walt Disney with their sweatshops in Haiti. These changes however, rarely stick and are only a front to get the authorities to go