Organise collectively: Intersectionality, social norms, and women’s leadership in the Caribbean

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Dr. Halimah DeShong, University Director at the Institute for Gender and Development Studies at the University of the West Indies, has spent her career researching and advocating for gender equality and women’s leadership in the Caribbean. She has also authored and edited numerous academic papers, books, and technical reports on sexual and gendered violence and feminist methodologies in the Caribbean. In this interview, she shares insights on the enduring influence of patriarchal norms, the compounded effects of intersectional discrimination, and the importance of networks and solidarity in creating transformative change.

“One of the things we come up against all the time is patriarchal backlash,” DeShong explains. “Enduring gender norms and binary assumptions about women function as ideologies that keep women out of decision-making spaces. There’s often an assumption that women are trespassing or usurping power, despite a long history of women organizing for change and leading key organizations in the region.”

She highlights the role of networks in addressing these challenges: “Important initiatives like Caribbean Women in Leadership (CIWiL), Young Women in Leadership Programme (YWiL), and training spaces such as the Caribbean Institute in Gender and Development Studies, supported by the Caribbean Development Bank, UN Women and other key partners, are critical for supporting women’s leadership and keeping gender equality on the agenda.”

“When a woman enters a leadership space, she carries multiple identities that shape her access and experience.”

Intersecting identities, and forms of difference and power are central to her analysis: “To understand what militates against women’s leadership, we have to locate women’s experiences in our histories. Our societies are stratified by race, indigeneity, class, and gender. When a woman enters a leadership space, she carries multiple identities that shape her access and experience. We need to pay attention to who is not in the room and, when women do enter, which women have access. Class, ability, and other factors matter.”

She adds: “Caribbean and Latin American feminists have always organized with a keen sense of difference. Today we use the term intersectionality, but the principle remains: our work must account for diversity and power.”

DeShong also warns about new forms of violence: “We must be aware of the weaponization of technology to commit violence against women, girls, and persons with diverse genders and sexualities. Cohesive legislation and support for activist organizations like Intersect Antigua, POWA Belize, and Red Roots SVG are essential.”

Her advice to young women aspiring to leadership is clear: 

“Mentorship and community have been central to my journey. My support started with my family, then my village, and even my netball community. We can create our own communities if we don’t have them from birth. Leadership is about tapping into our power and passing on those lessons to others. Don’t be afraid to own your power and use it in transformative ways.” 

Referring to the two-day meeting she attended, she emphasized the importance of creating safe spaces which allow groups of women to be authentic, vulnerable, and to tap into each other’s power by learning and sharing in respectful ways.”

She closes with a powerful reminder: “Organizing collectively is something we’ve always done as Caribbean and Latin American feminists. We need to continue creating and extending networks of solidarity to combat the increasing challenges of technology-facilitated violence and to advance gender equality.”

Dr. Halimah DeShong joined the two-day intergenerational dialogue “Advancing Women’s Equal Participation in Decision-Making in Latin America and the Caribbean,” which took place on 27-28 November in Panama City. The Convening took place under the WYDE | Women’s Leadership initiative, funded by the European Union, which is a collaborative global effort aimed at advancing women’s full and effective political participation and decision-making at all levels, especially those most often left furthest behind.

Note: These publications aim to stimulate a constructive debate on key issues of interest for advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment in Latin America and the Caribbean. The views expressed by the individuals interviewed for the production of our editorial content do not necessarily reflect the official position of UN Women or