Nation urged to ‘rescue all’ genders through social intervention

A call is being put out for greater equity across genders in policies and social programmes that target youth.

“I beg of you, as we go forward, we seek balance, we seek partnership, we ask that you do not rescue one, you rescue all,” urged Dr Herbert Gayle, social anthropology lecturer at The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona.

Gayle was speaking yesterday during the Planning Institute of Jamaica’s 2024 Symposium of Best Practices in Social and Community Development.

Pointing to the disparity in social-intervention programmes aimed at boys versus girls, he argued that this kind of structure invariably results in more males committing criminal acts.

Sharing that 64 per cent of women who get killed in Jamaica die as a result of “men’s war”, or conflicts between men, he stressed that efforts must be diverted to address the issues affecting men.

“If 64 per cent of everybody in a group dies because something is happening with the other group, solve the other group,” he said.

Gayle noted that only 21 per cent of women who die yearly in Jamaica are killed because of their direct interactions with men, yet resources are channelled towards this cause.

“If I did an exam, and I lost two per cent, would you be proud of me? I got 98 on my exam, you’ll be proud of me … but that’s not what we do in development, that’s not what we do. We take the 1.78 per cent, and when you see the ads on television, it’s about the 1.78 per cent,” he said.

Gayle further emphasised that educational training is the core of a country’s development, but even in this area, there are inequities in policies that target males versus females.

“If women are 228 per cent educated [in comparison to men], why are we having policies to give women more education? Women need investments and money so they can have power,” he added.

He stressed that the investment in education should be spread equally.

“If a family or a community invested in a child to the extent where they were able to do three CXCs (Caribbean Examinations Council) exams, they’re four times safer. If they do CAPE (Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination), they are 10 times safer, and if they are able to go to even teachers’ college, they are 85 times safer.”

Stating that there are 15 all-girls schools in Jamaica, compared with the seven all-boys institutions, Gayle shared that the chance of attaining tertiary education is higher among students who attend all-girls schools, at 89 per cent, compared with those who attend all-boys institutions, at 69 per cent.

Students who attended a traditional co-ed school have a 61 per cent chance of attaining tertiary education while those in technical high schools have a 17 per cent chance. Students in the new secondary schools have a 10 per cent likelihood of attending university.

Highlighting police data from 2016 to 2021, Gayle showed that people who are educated are less likely to commit murders, be involved in shootings, or breach the Firearms Act.

However, people with only a primary-school education are more likely to end up in gangs.

These gangs, he stated, are often the only means of support for a vulnerable male youngster.

“If a male is not in a gang or any form of group, he is more likely to be hungry. We have constructed a scenario, a social space, in which it makes sense to be bad. That is a crisis.”

Gayle urged stakeholders to work to change this imbalance.

“All of us must get involved. The world is also filled with ‘best practices’ that suit governments that want to be elected in the next four or five years. It’s quick, but somebody pays for it,” he said.

sashana.small@gleanerjm.com