Indentured emigration (1838- 1917) had different effects on the population in Guyana, based on
an individual’s gender, religion, class, caste, race, location and age. While the shortage of Indian
females during the early indentureship period might have resulted in an improved status for
some Indian women in Guyana, it also led to various forms of control and servitude. During the later
indentureship period, Indian women were ‘re-casted’ through the blending of Indian religions and
cultures, and the rebuilding of the Indian male family structure, both of which served to divide women and reinforce a male’s control of females’ labour, sexuality, reproduction and mobility. Women were bonded labourers within the Indian family after they completed their period of indenture and indentureship was abolished. But from that time to now, the progress that East Indian women
have made in this country is immeasurable. That’s according to Former Government Minister,
Activist and now Member of Parliament for the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C),
Indranie Chanderpal. Chanderpal, who also chairs the Women and Gender Equality Commission, told this magazine that East Indian women only started to come into the public domain after
universal adult suffrage was born in 1953. “I think all women, specifically East Indian women,
believed they had a voice and deserved much more, after adult suffrage in 1953”. The winning of the 1953 National Election in Guyana saw women being elevated for the first time and three women were elected to the Legislative Council as well as to the position of the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly. Chandepal said that women thought then, as much as they do now, that they had a right to cash in on all society had to offer. “You know, in the days of the British, East Indian women,
particularly Hindus and those in Islam, were not afforded access to education unless they converted to
Christianity. Many did not, and because of that, they were disenfranchised. I believe now though the glass ceiling has been broken and we have come a long way, although there is still a long way for us to go”, she told this magazine. She went on to say, “Look at the number of East Indian women
lawyers and doctors we have, look at the number of teachers and business women. And though there
are many who may want to get into politics, because of our political culture, they opt to stay out. But just look at the strides and contributions East Indian women have made on the political front to this country.” Chanderpal also credits the progress and success of East Indian women in Guyana to the work of the Women’s Progressive Organization (WPO) who had undertaken to carry out several initiatives to encourage women to step up and take the mantle. “The WPO had rigorous campaigns all across the country to encourage our women to come forward, to let their voices be heard
and to be a part of changing times, to have an education and things like that.” May 27, 2018 marked 65 years since the Women’s Progressive Organization was formed in 1953. The rationale for such a formation became necessary because of the poor conditions women were living under and the absence of basic rights for them. But even though East Indian women made significant progress post 1953,
the establishment of the National Service was another stumbling block in the way. Chanderpal recalled that parents were unhappy when their daughters had to be away from them, “and females, particularly East Indians, were not able to do things like graduate. Only after the National Service was removed were females able to do so”, she noted. Chanderpal said that when she became a Government Minister for the People’s Progressive Party in Guyana in 1993, she tried to visit as many communities as possible where women were mostly impacted by the indentureship and national service eras and work to encourage them to embrace the notion that there is more to life than what they grew up witnessing or was a part of.]
OLD CULTURE STILL LINGERS
Also speaking to this publication is a successful East Indian doctor and also a Member of Parliament for the People’s Progressive Party, Dr. Vindhya Persaud. For Dr. Persaud, the old culture
where the men go to work and the women stay at home to look after the children and to cook is still very much alive in Guyana. Though not prevalent like before, she said family thinking has had a lot to do with this. She noted, however, that East Indian women are now coming to grips with the times.
“You know, this whole thing about the men going to work and the women staying at home to do house
work, for me, I will say it is because of cultural pressure. There are many mothers who struggle to raise a family in this fashion and not much attention has been paid to them. What we are seeing happening now is a change in the way East Indian women think, and though women are still being stymied, in terms of employment, I would say we have come a long way; but I can tell you,
we still have far more to go,” she noted. For Dr. Persaud, while East Indian women have had a change in their thinking, some are still reluctant to come to the fore, for whatever reason. “I need to see more East Indian women CEOs, more politicians, more ministers, more educators… We just need to get up
and get and we must let the men know, not just for East Indian women but for women across the
divide, we must let our voices be heard and let the people know that it’s our time now.”
Dr. Persaud said she is elated to see that more women are accessing education today and taking the lead in Science and Technology. “But more need to join the conversation on topical issues”, she stressed.
EAST INDIAN WOMEN IN RURAL GUYANA
While East Indian women on the coastland continue to progress, those in the more rural areas of the
country are not benefitting from the National pie adequately, Dr. Persaud observed “I would want to see more development for women in those areas. They are being disadvantaged, it’s like they are not
a part of us; we don’t hear from them, we don’t hear about them. Often times, people feel that these
women are not important because of where they are, but we need to include these women, we need to
empower them and we need to have them on the forefront,” Dr. Persaud said. Former Manager of Radio Guyana Inc., now business woman, Surida Nagreadi also voiced her concerns on this issue. For her, even during indentureship days, women started to make their voices known. “The ‘A woman’s place is in the home’ perception of the feminine image has been there for as long as I can remember. This notion was particularly prevalent back in the indentureship days; women were disproportionately represented as they were thought to be less ‘economical’. However, during those very days, women began fighting bravely against a system of oppression and exploitation, where Kowsilla was one such martyr.” Today, she said, East Indian women can be proud of their accomplishments. “Fast forward to many decades later, it’s evident the progress women have made in Guyana, particularly Indian women. Many of whom today are C-Suite Executives, politicians, business owners, respected professors, top sport players, military personnel and the list goes on. We continue to make headlines and influence decisionmaking processes. But our world is ever changing and education will be our vehicle to continue this progress. We need to reach out to our young girls and mothers and empower them to raise their aspirations, to fight for what they believe in and to reach out for opportunities to live their dreams.”