Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

The early history of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines was marked by battles between France and Britain over control of the island and by internal resistance to colonization. By 1783, Britain had succeeded in [Page 1269]colonizing the island. It became a member of the Federation of the West Indies for two years in the 1960s before becoming autonomous in 1969 and declaring independence in 1979. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, which ranks 91st on the United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) list of countries with Very High Human Development, has a per capita income of $18,100. By the 21st century, 47 percent of this Caribbean island's population lived in urban areas. The island is heavily dependent on the banana crop and tourism. While 57 percent of the labor force is employed in services, another 28 percent works in agriculture. About 72 percent of all female workers are employed in the service industry. With an unemployment rate of 15 percent, the government is facing major difficulties, and women suffer disproportionately from this phenomenon. Those with a secondary education are twice as likely as males in that group to be unemployed. The majority (66 percent) of Saint Vincentians are black. The island is more diverse from a religious perspective, with the majority declaring themselves either Protestant or Roman Catholic.

The median age for women is 28.9 years, and women have a life expectancy of 75.5 years, as compared with 71.8 years for males. The fertility rate is 1.98 children per woman. With an infant mortality rate of 15.1 deaths per 1,000 live births, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines ranks 126th in the world. At 96 percent, female literacy is equal to that of males, and both females and males attend school for approximately 12 years. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines ranks 14th in the world in educational spending. Women continue to earn considerably less than males on the island. In 2005, for instance, the estimated earned income for females was only $4,449, as compared with $8,722 for males.

Women received the right to vote in 1951, but the first woman was not elected to Parliament until 1979, when the island became independent. By the 21st century, 18.2 percent of the seats in Parliament were filled by females, and women made up one-fifth of the island's ministers.