The Powerful Role of Women in the Grenada Revolution

Political participation and leadership of women during the Grenada Revolution (1979 –1983) were marked by significant involvement in government roles, grassroots mobilization, and the armed forces, albeit with notable limitations rooted in prevailing patriarchal norms.

Women held important government positions in the People’s Revolutionary Government (PRG), though often within traditional social portfolios. Key female leaders included:

• Jacqueline Creft (Minister of Education, Youth and Social Affairs),

• Phyllis Coard (Deputy Minister of Women’s Affairs, President of the National Women’s Organization (NWO), and Central Committee member),

• Claudette Pitt (Deputy Minister for Community Development),

• Dessima Williams (Grenada’s representative to the Organization of American States), Marcella David (Cabinet Secretary),

• Dorcas Braveboy (Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health),

• Gloria Payne-Banfield (Ministry of Planning),

• Florence Rapier (Ministry of Legal Affairs),

• Valerie Gordon (National Coordinator for the Centre for Popular Education),

• Sharon Fletcher (Head of the Community School and Day Program),

• Candia Alleyne (Food and Nutrition Council),

• Yvonne James (Health Planner),

• Jane Belfon (Director of Tourism),

• Pamela Buxo (Secretary for Tourism),

• Joan Ross (Programme Director for Television Free Grenada),

• Regina Taylor (General Secretary of the Agency for Rural Transformation),

• Angela Cape (Deputy Manager of the National Marketing Importing Board), and Bridget Horsford (Manager of the Agro-Industries Plant)

• Monica Joseph became Grenada’s first female judge in 1982.

Phyllis Coard

Jacqueline Creft

Despite these roles, women’s leadership was often confined to what was described as the “kitchen cabinet,” with women heading ministries related to education, social affairs, and women’s issues, reflecting traditional gender roles rather than broader political power. There were no women in senior military leadership positions, with only limited female participation in the armed forces and militia. Women served in combat and support roles, but military leadership remained male-dominated. Bernard Coard, Deputy Prime Minister and Central Committee member, attributed this to the global perception of the military as a male domain, noting that although one woman in the National Liberation Army had equal military training, she shifted to non-military roles during the revolution.

Formation and Role of the National Women’s Organization (NWO):

The NWO was established as a mass organization aligned with the PRG to mobilize, politicize, and unify women under socialist principles. It operated through a hierarchical structure with national and parish-level groups, focusing on grassroots democracy and community involvement. The NWO worked closely with the Women’s Desk, a government body facilitating communication between the state and women’s groups. The Women’s Desk was established in June 1979 and acted as an intermediary between the government and the NWO. Tessa Stroude and Rita Joseph were full-time workers at the Desk.

Achievements and Programs:

• The NWO and PRG implemented social welfare programs including free milk distribution, house repairs, health center improvements, mass literacy campaigns, and free secondary education.

• Women were encouraged to enter non-traditional jobs such as carpentry, welding, and motor mechanics, and female participation in trade unions increased.

• Childcare facilities and maternity leave laws were introduced, though challenges remained in their implementation and societal acceptance.

At the grassroots level, women were mobilized through the National Women’s Organization, which grew rapidly to include thousands of members organized in groups across parishes. By that time (late 1980), the NWO comprised 1,500 members operating in forty-seven groups in all the parishes except Carriacou. By November 1982 membership stood at 6,500 women organised in 170 groups, with eleven groups in Carriacou and one in Petit Martinique.

Women

Women were key supporters

Women and the Militia:

Women also actively participated in the militia and the People’s Revolutionary Army (PRA), comprising about 35 percent of militia corps by 1981. They served as combatants, cooks, first aid attendants, and news runners. The 1980 bomb blast targeted at PRG leadership resulted in significant female casualties, which galvanized further female militancy and recruitment.

Women in Culture:

Women expressed their support for the revolution through cultural contributions such as poetry and calypso, with Lady Cinty becoming the first female National Calypso monarch in 1983.

Challenges faced:

Challenges to women’s leadership included persistent patriarchal attitudes that limited progress, especially regarding domestic responsibilities and childcare. The NWO struggled to provide childcare support during meetings, and societal expectations often placed the burden of housework and childrearing solely on women, hindering their full political participation. Maternity leave laws were enacted, but women party members were often expected to work immediately after childbirth, and male party members frequently lacked support for shared domestic responsibilities.

The revolutionary leadership’s Marxist ideology focused primarily on class struggle and did not adequately address gender relations, leading to tensions within the movement. Women leaders acknowledged these limitations, noting the difficulty of balancing political activism with family life and critiquing the failure to challenge male chauvinism effectively.

The proposal for joint leadership between Maurice Bishop and Bernard Coard in 1983, supported by women leaders including Phyllis Coard, was seen as a strategy to strengthen governance by combining their strengths. However, Bishop’s hesitation and subsequent house arrest led to political turmoil culminating in his assassination and the collapse of the revolution. Women in leadership roles were deeply involved in these events, with many experiencing imprisonment and trauma in the aftermath.

Overall, women’s political participation and leadership during the Grenada Revolution represented a significant advance in representation and grassroots mobilization but remained constrained by traditional gender roles, ideological limitations, and societal attitudes. The revolution brought psychological empowerment and material benefits to many women but fell short of achieving full gender equality in political power and social transformation.

Source:

Women in the Grenada Revolution, 1979–1983 by Dr. Nicole Phillip-Dowe

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