Slave women in the Caribbean history
The past four decades has experienced an increase in the interest of the role of women slaves in the Caribbean history. This is mainly due to the rise of women movements in the 1970s that saw the society focus more on the role of women. Most of the slaves sent to the British Caribbean during the slave trade were men. Later, women slaves started being transported to the Caribbean to control the male population and with time, they became indispensible in the plantations. Even though women in the Caribbean slave history were portrayed hold inferior positions, they played an important role despite them facing a lot of oppression and discrimination.
Slavery in the Caribbean
In the 15th century, the New World …show more content…
Women provided the most labor in the cane plantations. Women slaves worked alongside men slaves in hard labor requiring digging and cutting cane for long hours. Slave owners who had women slaves in their farms felt like women slaves lived longer and they were enduring since they were used to hard labor back in Africa. Filed labor was divided into heavy work, lighter work and simple weeding and clearing of the field. The heavy work was the duty of strong and healthy women of between 16 and 50 years. Lighter work was carried out by slave women who had just given birth, pregnant women and the ill. Simple weeding and clearing of the fields was carried out by younger slaves aged below 12 years and they were mostly the children of the women slaves. Older women slaves supervised the simple work by the children …show more content…
This form of labor was considered to hold a higher status than field work. Women slaves performed domestic duties like looking after their masters’ homes and children. The women slaves were cooks, maids, cleaners, seam mistresses and others were even used to breastfeed the children of their masters. Other women worked as water carriers, washerwomen, and they were also expected in the farms during harvesting. Women slaves also worked in the plantations and provided the same filed labor as men slaves .
Another important role of women slaves in the Caribbean was the ability to produce their own food. Traditionally, African women looked after their home and were engaged in food production and craftwork for the market. As such, women slaves dominated craftwork production for the markets and slave women were very engaged in market activities. At the market, women slaves could sell and purchase items, gather news, disseminate information and this played a role in planning slave uprisings
The past four decades has experienced an increase in the interest of the role of women slaves in the Caribbean history. This is mainly due to the rise of women movements in the 1970s that saw the society focus more on the role of women. Most of the slaves sent to the British Caribbean during the slave trade were men. Later, women slaves started being transported to the Caribbean to control the male population and with time, they became indispensible in the plantations. Even though women in the Caribbean slave history were portrayed hold inferior positions, they played an important role despite them facing a lot of oppression and discrimination.
Slavery in the Caribbean
In the 15th century, the New World …show more content…
Women provided the most labor in the cane plantations. Women slaves worked alongside men slaves in hard labor requiring digging and cutting cane for long hours. Slave owners who had women slaves in their farms felt like women slaves lived longer and they were enduring since they were used to hard labor back in Africa. Filed labor was divided into heavy work, lighter work and simple weeding and clearing of the field. The heavy work was the duty of strong and healthy women of between 16 and 50 years. Lighter work was carried out by slave women who had just given birth, pregnant women and the ill. Simple weeding and clearing of the fields was carried out by younger slaves aged below 12 years and they were mostly the children of the women slaves. Older women slaves supervised the simple work by the children …show more content…
This form of labor was considered to hold a higher status than field work. Women slaves performed domestic duties like looking after their masters’ homes and children. The women slaves were cooks, maids, cleaners, seam mistresses and others were even used to breastfeed the children of their masters. Other women worked as water carriers, washerwomen, and they were also expected in the farms during harvesting. Women slaves also worked in the plantations and provided the same filed labor as men slaves .
Another important role of women slaves in the Caribbean was the ability to produce their own food. Traditionally, African women looked after their home and were engaged in food production and craftwork for the market. As such, women slaves dominated craftwork production for the markets and slave women were very engaged in market activities. At the market, women slaves could sell and purchase items, gather news, disseminate information and this played a role in planning slave uprisings