Grenada is a small (344-square-kilometer) island nation in the Caribbean Sea that became independent from Great Britain in 1974. Most of the population (90,739 as of June 2009) is black (82 percent) with large minorities of mixed race (13 percent) and European and east Indian (5 percent) people. Roman Catholicism is the most common religion (53 percent) with 13.8 percent Anglican and 33.2 percent other Protestant. Life expectancy for men is 66 years and 69 years for women.

The Grenadian economy is based primarily on agriculture and tourism and per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was $12,700 in 2009. Women constitute 42.6 percent of the nonagricultural labor force but still suffer from discrimination and generally earn less than men. Traditional role expectations dictate that women are ...