A Cayman Islands lawmaker’s motion seeks government compensation for the divorced wives of Caymanian seamen as part of a broader effort to recognise the contributions of women to the islands.
‘Any of the women who may have been separated from or divorced from any seaman is now bereft of that compensation,’ said George Town MLA Lucille Seymour during her debate on the motion. ‘In many instances a seaman’s second wife becomes his widow and embraces all the fortunes including government’s compensation.
‘The former wife who really weathered the storms of the Southwell years is left to become that forgotten Caymanian.’
Health Minister Anthony Eden called Ms Seymour’s motion profound and said he believed the former wives of seamen shouldn’t be punished because ‘we wandering men find younger affections.’
Opposition Leader McKeeva Bush also supported the proposal.
‘This is a laudable notion,’ Mr. Bush said. ‘It’s going to be costly, but it has to be looked at.’
Ms Seymour’s motion generally seeks to recognise equally the efforts of women during the period in Cayman’s history where many men left the island for long stretches in search of employment on merchant ships.
While the men were away, Ms Seymour said the women were forced to run the household, take care of the children, manage money, and sometimes find extra employment to make ends meet.
‘Women played a pivotal role of holding Cayman Islands society together while the men were away at sea,’ she said.
The motion further urged financial support for women who had retired and who were at risk of falling below the poverty line.
‘Never should we institute unconsciously the ‘bag lady’ in our society by forgetting the mothers of old who made us who we are,’ Ms Seymour said.
The George Town MLA also suggested that the difference in wages paid to women and men should be ameliorated by law if necessary.
A recent occupational wage survey done by the Department of Employment relations found that women in Cayman were still making up to ten per cent less than their male counterparts in the same jobs.
Ms Seymour’s motion also sought several symbolic honours for women of the bygone era.
They included: a government-hosted ceremony honouring outstanding women of the past, a request to award a woman the highest Royal Honour accorded to Overseas Territory citizens, a request that an edifice be erected in Heroes Square to honour the more than 300 women who petitioned for Caymanian women to get the right to vote, and she asked that a mould be cast for the statue of Cayman Islands national hero Sybil McLaughlin while Mrs. McLaughlin is still alive.
The motion was generally supported by government ministers, although approval of a private member’s motion does not necessarily require any legislative action to be taken.
Related Videos
