Learning Gender-based Attitudes in The Bahamas

Abstract

Gender-based violence continues to be a source of concern in The Bahamas. Structural inequality between the sexes is present in the law and cultural attitudes can work to circumscribe the expectations of women. Such attitudes are reinforced through messages from various sources. This paper presents the results from an Internet-based survey of 1,279 participants to examine how Bahamian citizens learn their attitudes towards women. The most important influence on Bahamians was the participant's mother. She, in turn, was influenced by the messages she received from faith-based sources. Official governmental sources of information and the opinions of politicians and school teachers appeared to be less influential. This disparity suggests that within The Bahamas, changes in attitudes towards women will require a more enlightened message to be taught and reinforced by faith-based organizations.

A review of the literature on corporal punishment in The Bahamas, with an emphasis on its use in schools

“…As noted earlier, this may be associated with the misattribution of "Spare the rod and spoil the child" to the Book of Proverbs in the Bible, as well as a misunderstanding. However, as with the learning of gender stereotypes, we should not overlook the role of pastors in influencing the attitudes of parents, in particular mothers (Fielding & Ballance, 2019). Corporal punishment is a cultural norm of The Bahamas and the Caribbean region (Ballance, 2008), which is still endorsed by most people (Sutton & Alvarez, 2016).…”

Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Corporal Punishment in Bahamian Homes

“…In recognition of this faithbased influence, Save the Children (2015) partnered with faith communities to try to address the issue of corporal punishment and faith teachings. The role of faith leaders in forming current attitudes in Bahamian society has been demonstrated by Fielding and Ballance (2019). These attitudes often reinforce a traditional family hierarchy base.…”

The Bahamian Justification for Using Corporal Punishment Within the Home: A Christian Habit?

“…Qualitative data arising from Fielding and Ballance (2019) indicate that the Bible is still used by caregivers to support the use of corporal punishment (Fielding & Ballance, 2021a). While this justification is not unique to The Bahamas, the fact that sola scripturaorientated Christian denominations dominate the Bahamian Christian population (Bahamas Department of Statistics, 2012) suggests that the biblical justification may also be expected to be common, as has been found in the United States by Richardson et al (1994).…”

“…The Bahamas has demonstrated that the use of corporal punishment (that is, hitting a child with an object or hand) in the home to discipline or punish children remains common (Fielding et al, 2016). While the use of corporal punishment is permitted in schools, its use is typically regulated (Johnson, 2016) although reports of excessive punishment are still reported in the media (Fielding & Ballance, 2019). The use of corporal punishment at home is unregulated and seems to result in about 4% of children being abused through its excessive use (Brennen et al, 2010).…”

“…Even in traditional denominations, influential Christian leaders such as Pope Francis (2015) have supported corporal punishment under certain circumstances, but it should be noted that physical abuse within the home, particularly of women, is condemned (Pullella, 2021). Fielding & Ballance (2019) identified the role of pastors in influencing gender norms in Bahamian society, in particular in reinforcing traditional views of women which seem increasingly out of step with modern society, such as "a women's place is in the home." Biblical arguments concerning corporal punishment have been expressed by pastors in the press (Cunningham, 2020).…”