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This book focuses on equality, inclusion, and discrimination within the English-speaking Caribbean region, specifically as it relates to employment, education, society, and the law. Though anti-discrimination laws have recently been enacted in the Caribbean, this, in and of itself, neither translates to societal changes nor changes within the organisational context. The authors examine racial diversity in public sector organisations in Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana, gender diversity in organisations across the Caribbean region, sexual orientation and its impact on employment, disability and access within organisations, and equality and inclusion within Caribbean institutions of higher education. Further, the book explores the region's equality laws and compares them with legislation from selected developed countries. This interdisciplinary text provides researchers in HRM, organisational behavior, sociology, and public policy with an overview of the types of discrimination prevalent within the Caribbean as well as the varied institutional frameworks in place that encourage equality.

Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion in Caribbean Organisations and Society: An Exploration of Work, Employment, Education, and the Law

Foreword by Professor John LaGuerre

Chapter 1 - Introduction (J. Stephenson and A. Bissessar)

This chapter offers an introduction (and overview) to the concept of diversity, discrimination, inclusion and equality in the Caribbean. It will include: -

- General discussion on culture in the Caribbean

- Discussion of heterogeneity in the Caribbean region

- An examination of the ways in which this book addresses the challenge of the paucity of diversity research in the Caribbean region

- Objectives of the book

- An overview of the book and introduction of the chapters to follow

Chapter 2 - Race Relations in the Caribbean- Re-evaluating Representative Bureaucracy in Trinidad & Tobago and Guyana (A. Bissessar)

The relationship between groups has always been problematic whether the difference between the groups are based on different religious viewpoints (for instance between Hindus or Muslims as in the case of Pakistan and Indian), differences in tribes (for example Rwanda), or differences in caste (for example India). The array of differences between groups is vast. However, the gap widens when 'race' or 'racial' differences become one of the more pertinent issues between the dominant groups in a society.

In the case of the countries of the Anglophone Caribbean, much has been written on race (Lowenthal, 1970); race and class (Safa, 2012); race, class and identity (Reddock, 2014) as well as the connection between race and politics (Bissessar & La Guerre, 2013). Indeed, there is no dearth of literature on race relations in the Caribbean, more specifically the relationship between the African and East Indian groups. This paper will try to evaluate, particularly in two countries that have been categorized as 'plural' societies (Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana), the extent to which the mechanisms which have been introduced to minimize or manage the racial segregation of the groups have been successful.

This chapter will focus specifically on the mechanisms that have been introduced in the public sector of Trinidad and Tobago and neighbouring Guyana to allow for the representation of various groups. The paper will examine the challenges that emerged during the 1960s to the 1990s. The paper will then look at the various mechanisms that have been introduced since the 1990s and evaluate the extent to which these mechanisms or processes have allowed for more diversity within this sector.

Chapter 3 - Equality and discrimination on the basis of sex (J. Stephenson)

This chapter will focus on the extent to which sexes are equitably perceived and included in organisations across the Caribbean region. Caribbean societies are largely patriarchal in nature. Relative to women, men have more key political, organisational and societal roles. This may be attributed in part, to the region's history of colonization and enslavement, where males were regarded as more valuable than females, who in turn were thought to have a supporting role. Over time, these have become social norms which are now imbedded across the islands of the region. This dichotomy is further evident in disparities in remuneration, opportunities for promotion and development, power and control and is reinforced through organisational hierarchies, symbols, images, interactions and accepted behaviour (Acker, 2006). In an attempt to redress the balance in terms of remuneration, some Caribbean islands have also implemented equal pay legislation. Women in the Caribbean remain overpopulated in occupations which are the lowest paid and least skilled, e.g. domestic workers and shop assistants (CDB, 2016; Miller, 1997).

Chapter 4 - Sexual orientation and inclusivity in the region (J. Stephenson)

This chapter will discuss the following: -

 

 

- The acknowledgement and inclusion of the LGBTQ community in Caribbean societies

- The discrimination faced by members of this community

- The challenges faced by this community in relation to employment and integration in society

- The lack of protection for member of this community across the region and criminalisation of sexual activities engaged in by members of this group

- Consequences of exclusion on the state and on society more generally

- Analysis of empirical data collected on the LGBT community in the region

 

Chapter 5 - Disability - Disparate treatment or inclusion in Caribbean organisations (J. Stephenson)

This chapter will discuss the following: -

- Types of disabilities prevalent in the region

- Treatment of persons with disabilities

- Access of persons with disabilities to gainful employment (and opportunities for advancement)

- Impact of prevailing stereotypes with respect to persons with disabilities

- Accommodations made for persons with disabilities in organisations and society

- Effects of government policies and laws in respect of the employment, education and access to goods and services for persons with disabilities

 

Chapter 6 - Politics and inclusivity in the region (A. Bissessar)

The aim of this chapter is to examine the extent to which the political structure and systems in two countries of the Commonwealth Caribbean, namely Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana allow for the inclusivity of the different groups in the society. To a large extent, the article argues that the two-party system which prevails in these countries (in the case of Trinidad and Tobago, a Parliamentary system of Government and in the case of Guyana, a Presidential system of government) has created a structure in which the governing party supports a specific group and excludes other groups. The chapter will conduct an in-depth analysis on how government funding is allocated to different groups over a period of time in these two countries. It will also examine employment data in the public sector as well as how scholarships were awarded to different groups. The chapter will then look at the merits and demerits of the various models of government and offer recommendations on how diversity may be accommodated.

Chapter 7 - Efficacy of the region's equality laws (N. Persadie)

This chapter will include:

- An overview of existing equality laws (statute) in the Caribbean

- An overview of the institutional framework for implementing equality laws as contained in the enabling statute

- An examination of the application of said equality laws by the Courts

- An assessment of the efficacy of the legal and institutional framework for the implementation of the said equality laws

- The theory of representative bureaucracy will frame the discussion in this chapter specifically as it relates to the grounds of discrimination examined within the equality laws enacted across the region

 

Chapter 8 - Equality Laws Compared: The Caribbean, The UK and The USA (N. Persadie)

This chapter will discuss the following:

- A review of the equality legislation of selected countries (UK, Australia, for example)

- A comparative analysis of developed countries' equality legislation with those of the Caribbean

- Recommendations for improving Caribbean legislation

 

Chapter 9 -  Liberalization of Higher Education in the Caribbean: Situating Matters of Access, Diversity, and Equity  (T. Esnard)

Inclusive educational agendas aim to address the diverse needs of all learners through increasing participation in learning, cultures, and communities (Booth, 1994). The primary aim is to create an all-embracing educational context that leverages the unique background, skills, cultures of various groups within the broader society. Yet, inclusive education in Trinidad and Tobago has adopted an inherent focus on students with learner disabilities or special needs without a core treatment or response to some of the social exclusions that are reproduced within the everyday classroom. This focus inherently negates the diversity within the population of Trinidad and Tobago. The chapter provides a critical discussion of the meanings/constructions, policies leanings or strategies, and challenges associated with advancing inclusive agendas within the education system of Trinidad and Tobago. A major argument is for socially just understandings, policy constructions, and 'strategizations' that fundamentally address some of the structural ways in which inequality and social disparities are produced and sustained within the education system.

Chapter 10 - The Challenge of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion within Educational Reform: The Case of Trinidad and Tobago (T. Esnard)

As Caribbean institutions of higher education become more internationalized, issues of equity, diversity and inclusion must be seen as integral and central to the ways in which Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) function. However, addressing these issues of equity, diversity, and social inclusion must be contextualized in order to develop more relevant and effective responses. This chapter therefore presents a critical analysis of changing educational landscapes, how these collide and intensify contextual concerns, and complicate the call for promoting equity, diversity and social inclusion within the region. Some central points of interrogation therefore would include the ideological thrust of educational reform within higher education, the opportunities and threats that these foster, the responsiveness of Caribbean institutions of higher education, and the challenges associated with these. Two central questions therefore become those of: (i) what are the structural and contextual factors that affect the extent to which higher education within the region address issues of equity, diversity and social inclusion, and, (ii) how have they attempted to respond? While such interrogations provide initial points of reflection, they provide a timely discussion of systemic and structural barriers factors that condition the responsiveness of higher education institutions in the Caribbean.

Chapter 11 - Conclusion chapter (N. Persadie and T. Esnard)

Key findings from each chapter will be integrated into this concluding discussion.