Diverse Vision:
Women in Belize

Elain Hoffman
Eastern College

Within the varied landscape of Belize, there lives a unique and equally diverse population of people. The country of Belize is a relatively young country, having gained its independence from Great Britain only 18 years ago in 1981. It is a country characterized by diversity. In this country, which is the size of New Hampshire, one can travel from the Caribbean coast, with coral reefs and mangrove cayes, to the Mayan mountains covered with lush jungle vegetation; from the dry pine savannas to the rich, fertile soil covered with orange groves; from tiny villages hidden away in the mountains to the crowded, bustling city.  This geographical variety echoes the diversity of the Belize people themselves.  The Maya originally inhabited Belize.  In the 1500s, Spain began to colonize areas of Central America surrounding Belize. The British arrived and established settlements in Belize in 1638. In 1724, the first African slaves were imported to the area. These different people groups began to mix, creating a diverse population within the varied landscape.

The total population in Belize was estimated to be 210,000 in 1995. Spanish-speaking Mestizos (mix between Indigenous and European) make up 47 per cent of the population. About 27 per cent of the population are Creole (mix between African and European). Another 11 per cent are Maya, mostly from two major groups, Mopan and Kekchi. Garifuna comprise 5.1 per cent of the population (Cameron, 1997). These are the four major people groups living in Belize. Ethnic tensions are minimal in Belize. "Spatial circumstances can be cited to explain why Belize has not experienced the ethnic tensions that characterize the social relations in some of the surrounding Central American countries" (McClaurin, 1996, p. 30). Ethnic groups are concentrated in different areas of Belize. Because the population is small, groups are not crowded together; this explains why ethnic relations are relatively peaceful. Belize is a developing nation. The 1996 Poverty Assessment Report, by the Caribbean Development Bank, showed that one quarter of all households was poor. This is a significant portion of the population. Almost 10 per cent of households was extremely poor, meaning that they did not possess enough income to satisfy their basic food needs. Poverty was more extreme in rural areas (42.5 per cent) than urban areas (20.6 per cent). Based on ethnicity, the Maya were the most poor (Cameron, 1997).

For three and a half months, I lived within the unique country of Belize. I enjoyed both the cultural and geographical diversity of the small nation. I met many different types of people. As I developed relationships with several women, I began to wonder what life was like for them. Did they face the same issues as women in the United States? Did young women in Belize have the same opportunities as young men? Were opportunities for young girls increasing? How were women affected by poverty? How did ethnicity, class, and religion affect women’s lives? Through research and interviews with women from various ethnic, religious, and economic backgrounds, I sought out the answers to these questions. As women opened up and shared their stories, my eyes were opened. I learned a great deal about Belizean women, but I also learned about myself.

Along the Hummingbird Highway, several miles south of Belmopan, the capital city, there is a small village called Armenia. Between 600 and 700 people live there. Most are Mayan or Mestizo; many are immigrants from Guatemala and Honduras. Either Spanish or Maya Mopan are spoken in most homes. Life for the people in this village is still very simple. Most of the men are farmers. Using the traditional slash and burn milpa system of their ancestors, they grow food for their families and sell the excess. Most women work in their homes, preparing meals and caring for their children. There is a school in Armenia; children can attend through age 14, or "standard 6."

In February of 1999, I had the opportunity to spend a day with a family in Armenia. It was through this experience that I met Leslie. I discovered that life in Armenia is not easy, especially for women. Leslie lives with her parents, two brothers, and occasional nieces and nephews. Two of her older sisters are married and live with their husbands close by. Her family is originally from Guatemala; they speak Spanish. Leslie graduated from school so she speaks English fairly well. I arrived at their house in the afternoon and stayed through the night until the following afternoon. During my stay, I assisted Leslie with her daily tasks. Later, as I read the words of Elvia Alvarado, a Honduran campesina (rural peasant woman), I was reminded of Leslie. "We get up before [the men] do to grind the corn and make the tortillas and coffee for their breakfast. Then we work all day--taking care of the kids, washing the clothes… cleaning the house… looking for wood to cook with. We walk to the stream or the well to get water… We never sit still one minute" (Rosenberg, Kincaid, and Logan, 1992, p. 199).

While I was there, Leslie cooked every meal for her family outside over a fire in a barrel. She cared for her baby niece, even slept with her, because her sister (the baby's mom) was working in Belize City for the weekend. Leslie was up before daylight preparing breakfast. She cleaned, and walked to the family's farm to pick vegetables for lunch. The recent rain had filled their barrels with rainwater, so she did not have to go far for water that day. Leslie and I talked a lot during my stay. Through my broken Spanish and her broken English, I learned about her life. Basically, each day was like the one I had experienced. The tasks never seemed to end. Now that she has finished school, she works at home all day. In the future, she will get married and do the same thing in her husband's home. Leslie's family does not have money to send her to high school. She really does not have any other opportunities.

Juana is a Mayan woman who also lives in Armenia. She works at Jaguar Creek, the environmental education center located several miles south of Armenia, where I had been living. In the midst of her work, cooking meals, cleaning, and doing laundry, Juana and I would converse. One afternoon, I sat down with her and Lupe, another Mayan woman from Armenia, to get a better feel for what their lives were like. Juana grew up in Toledo, a district in Southern Belize. Her father died when she was only 1 year old. Her mother raised her, her brother, and her five sisters. "I don't know how she did it," Juana reflected, "Maybe she begged food for us." Life was very difficult for her family as she grew up. Juana was not able to complete school. In the Mayan tradition, Juana's marriage was arranged. She was married at age 16. She has had three children, one daughter, 9 years old, and two sons, 12 and 14. All of her children go to school in Armenia.

Juana and her husband moved to Armenia 5 years ago because it is closer to a city. Traveling to the city is cheaper and it is easier to sell produce there. In Toledo, they were far from the closest city. Life is better here for them. "We have more food, but it is still hard." Not many women in Armenia have jobs outside their homes. Men do not think that women should have jobs. Especially in the Mayan culture, women are expected to be subordinate to men. The tradition of patria protestad is still practiced. Marriages are arranged; girls are typically very young, between the ages of 14 and 16. "Sometimes she is so scared," Lupe explained. "She may cry, but she still go." Lupe was herself married at age 14. Now at age 26, she has 3 children. Juana and Lupe both speak Maya Mopan at home, but they are learning English. This is rare, because Mayan women are typically discouraged from learning English and communicating across cultural boundaries (McClaurin, 1996). Juana and Lupe have some unique opportunities that most women in their village do not have. They are working outside their homes and learning English.

Slowly, life is improving for girls in Armenia. They now have a school to go to. Neither Juana nor Lupe were able to finish primary school. Both of their daughters will finish school. I asked Juana about her daughter Sepharina. "When she finishes school, will you have her get married right away?" "Oh, no," she responded, "she is the only daughter, she will stay with me, maybe until she is 20." Both women explained how they are teaching their daughters to cook and clean and wash clothes. They are being prepared to be wives. But they have the chance to get an education, to learn English. The village of Armenia is growing, the road to Belmopan was paved very recently; a health clinic is planned to be built there. This will surely affect the lives of these young girls as they grow. They will certainly have more opportunities than their mothers had.

Judy is a Creole woman. She is the head cook here at Jaguar Creek. Judy lives with her husband and three youngest children just a few miles from Jaguar Creek. Judy was born and raised in Orange Walk, the northernmost district in Belize. She attended school through standard 6 and then took one year of high school. After she stopped attending school, she taught preschool for one year. Then, after meeting her husband at a dance, Judy was married at age 17. This was fairly young. "Most Creole girls do not marry until they are older," she explained. Judy has lived here along the Hummingbird Highway for 14 years. She has two daughters, 18 and 16, and two sons, 15 and 11. As soon as her children were in high school, Judy got a job outside the home. "I don't believe in sitting around at home, even on my day off I want to be working," Judy told me with a laugh. Times are changing. "Now women are working and men are staying home." This is true of some women, but not for others. "Mayan men don't believe that their women should be working," she pointed out. Judy appreciates the freedom that she has to work. Her husband does not mind; he does not worry about how much money she is making.

Judy's daughters also experience more opportunities than she did. Judy's oldest daughter finished high school. She now has a baby and is living with her boyfriend. Adolescent pregnancies are becoming a common problem in Belize. More and more, young teenage girls are getting pregnant and having to drop out of school (McClaurin, 1996). "According to Ministry of Health data, births to teenage mothers rose from 15 per cent to 19 per cent between 1992 and 1994" (Cameron, 1997). Fortunately, Judy's daughter finished school. In the future, she would like to attend teacher's college. Judy's younger daughter plans to go to college after she finishes high school. She would like to major in environmental studies. "Not many women work in that area," Judy explained. "But she doesn't care, she wants to do it, so she will do it." Judy is encouraging both of her daughters to get an education and seek out a profession.

Claudina is a professional psychiatrist, the only psychiatrist practicing in the country of Belize. She is married to the director of Jaguar Creek; both of them are Garifuna. Claudina was born and raised in Guatemala, and moved to Belize after marrying a Belizean. As I spoke with Claudina, she constantly reiterated how important her parents were to her success. "They value education." It was a sacrifice for her father to send her to college, but he did it because he believed in her and in the power of education. Claudina was the first person from her small town of Livingston to become a doctor. She went back there and worked at a clinic before getting married. I was impressed by Claudina's commitment to education. She has used her own money to provide scholarships for several different children so that they could go to school. "I believe that in giving you receive," she explains.

Claudina is very grateful to her father for putting her through college. She enjoys her career. "Sure I wanted to stay home and take care of my baby, but I want to have a choice." Having the freedom to work and be self-sufficient is very important to Claudina. She is encouraging her own daughter, Luwani, 12 years old, to go to college and pursue a career. "I'm not preparing Luwani for a man, I'm preparing her for herself, to be self-sufficient." Luwani, born and raised in Belize, has great dreams for the future. She would like to go to college and then law school. "I want to work with kids," she explains, "kids who are sexually exploited or exploited in other ways." Luwani is quite exceptional, an extremely bright young woman. She comes from a family of well-educated, successful professionals. She has unlimited opportunities ahead of her. When I asked about other girls her age, Luwani said that most of them would like to go to college, too; but some will not be able to afford it. Many would like to be teachers. "We just don't want to be housewives… because we won't have as many privileges."

There are stark contrasts between each of these women; for example, the life of a rural village housewife compared to that of a professional doctor. Their lives are as diverse as the landscape which surrounds them. Women in Belize live within a wide range of circumstances. Their opportunities for education are greatly affected by their economic status. Each of these women has hopes for their daughters. In each instance, their daughters seem to have more opportunities than they themselves had. Possibilities for women seem to be improving with each generation. Inequalities definitely exist between men and women, but they also exist between ethnic groups of women. "While Creole and Garifuna adolescent girls may have relatively greater freedom than Mestizo and Maya girls, they all have less freedom than their brothers" (Cameron, 1997, p. 52).

Many are concerned for women in Belize. There are individuals and organizations working to improve life for women in Belize, to lessen these inequalities. Today a half-dozen organizations are concerned with women's rights and needs. In the government there is a Department of Women's Affairs and a National Women's Commission. Other groups are the Belize Woman Against Violence (WAV), Belize Organization for Women and Development (BOWAND), and Belize Rural Women's Association (BRWA) (Barry, 1992). There are also many other grass-roots community organizations that have helped women to gain confidence and greater independence (McClaurin, 1996). Change takes time. As parents begin to recognize the value in education, more young girls are finishing school. Hopefully as a few privileged women do make their way into positions of power, they will pave the way for future generations of women in Belize.

Developing a relationship with each of these women was an incredible experience for me. I realized the privileges that I have as a U.S. citizen. The extreme wealth and materialism of our country stand in stark contrast to the small shacks that the villagers of Armenia live in. I was ashamed by all that I have, by how much I take it all for granted. I was a twenty-one-year-old woman; single, independent, traveling, studying in college; planning to pursue a career. Many of the women in Belize could not even begin to understand my lifestyle. They do not have freedom or opportunities. Women in Belize and other parts of the world encounter extreme limitations. The problems that I--as a white, middle-class woman from the United States--experience seem pale in comparison to the problems that these women face. So often we remain within our comfortable, North American bubbles, unaware of the problems in the rest of the world. I learned the importance of leaving that bubble, that comfortable life. There are injustices and inequalities in every part of the world. We need to stop ignoring them. We need to open our eyes, to see other people who are different from us, to see the world and its problems, and then to truly see ourselves. Then we will be ready to work together to improve the future.

References

Barry, T. (1992). Inside Belize. New Mexico: The Inter-Hemisphere Education Resource Center.

Cameron, S. (1997). From Girls to Women, Growing Up Healthy in Belize. Belize: Government of Belize.

Gollnick, D.M. and Chinn, P.C. (1998). Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society, 5th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

McClaurin, I. (1996). Women of Belize. New Bronswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.

Rosenberg, M.B. & Kincaid, A.D. & Logan, K. (1992). Americas, An Anthology. New York: Oxford University Press.

Winn, P. (1992). Americas. Los Angeles: University of California Press.

Interviews with Leslie, Juana, Lupe, Judy, Claudina, and Luwani

Elain Hoffman is a senior majoring special education at Eastern College. She spent the Spring of 1999 in Belize to learn about multiculturalism in the society.

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Recommended Citation in the APA style:

Hoffman, E. (1999). Diverse vision: Women in Belize. Electronic Magazine of Multicultural Education [online], 1(3), 16 paragraphs. <Available: http://www.eastern.edu/publications/emme/1999summer/hoffman.html> [your access year, month date]

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