Gender Difference?
No...not really!
16.07.2008
My definition of "catcalling": I'm using this term not so much in a negative way but rather people saying something to get your attention.
Before coming to Mandeville, I was fully informed by the previous interns and Lisa that there will be many incidences of “catcalling” and I will be referred to as “Ms. Chin”. I think I was fully prepared. Catcalling or hissing from the local guys, I don’t associate this as a gender/culture difference and not certainly because I am a female. I might get more attention because I am the only of an Asian descent in Mandeville, not because of my gender. The way males act towards females (catcalling or wanting attention), it doesn’t matter where you are, guys are guys and they think they have the entitlement to act the way the do (referring to some guys).
My behaviour or attitude has not changed much. I don’t act or behave differently because I am in Mandeville. Anywhere I may be, if a man wants to have a friendly chitchat…I will chat but if a man disrespects me and initiates an inappropriate conversation, I will not tolerate it.
I believe Jamaica endorses equal rights. The previous prime minister was a female and the current Mayor of Mandeville, Manchester is a female. I can certainly say that although Canada endorses on “equal rights”, this may not be surely depicted in our society (political realm). We did have a first female prime minister but the people of Canada never elected her (she was in power because Brian Mulroney resigned). So considering this factor, I can say that there is a less of a gender difference/division in Jamaica.
I found interesting your part about local guys wanting to chat sometimes, or sometimes being rude and awful, and how thats very similar to how it is at home. I think though, that at least here, sometimes people have trouble telling the difference. Although I've seen some pretty rude behavious from Guatemalan guys, how tourist girls treat guatemalan guys a lot of times equally as bad.
Example, I was hanging out with my friend in a villiage, helping to paint a sign. Two bored tourists girls walk into the villiage. My friend is like "Hola chicas, como estas?" (Hey girls, hows it going) And they like, basically totally ignore him like he is garbage.
In reality, this guy works for a local NGO, speaks great english as well as spanish, and is totally the type of person that they want to meet. (you don't walk up the hill to the villiage unless you are a little bit interested in daily life). But because they decided that a Guatemalan guy is only interested in hitting on them, they totally cut themselves off. Which might be a contributing factor in Guatemalan guys occasionaly behaving like jerks to tourist girls!
16.07.2008 by Megan C K