Construction of Gender and the

¶ … construction of gender and the associated power relations is considered to be a property of the society. Thus there are ubiquitous gender roles and responsibilities. Roles and responsibilities vary by culture and social norms. This is succinctly observed in the development of romance tourism in Jamaica. In romance tourism, travel becomes a medium through which foreign white women engage in the construction of new gendered realities. These realities are often in contradiction to the norms of their original cultures.

The young black males are willing participants in this engagement as they consider it to be a lucrative opportunity. The end product is the reshaping of the meanings and interpretation of gender within these relationships. Pruitt and LaFont in "For love and money: Romance tourism in Jamaica" produce an engaging narrative that unearths the multilayered nature of the relationship between Jamaican young men and foreign white women. The study considered the "negotiation of gender identity" through the formation of intimate, emotional relationships.

This transaction is termed romance tourism as opposed to sex tourism because while there is sexual contact; the relationship is much more complex than what obtains in prostitution. There is usually an aspect of extended connection between the parties, where males are often taken to live with these women. Additionally the relationship is constructed around love and the idea of an exotic experience.

While there is the exchange of money or material goods for sexual intimacy it is not a strict business transaction like traditional male-female prostitution but is convoluted with emotional entanglements and considerations. This process is facilitated by the travel industry through several avenues. The women are usually from North America or European countries that are in search of a liberating experience. The prospect of finding a partner without the attendant impediments that would be limiting in their own culture is exciting to them.

Thus travel itself becomes an avenue that serves to free women from the strictures of their own culture. The relationships that are formed are an expression of this freedom since they do not conform to the expectation of either culture. The relationships transcend the racial, economic and power limitations. This disregard for the traditional relational constraints produces some unique outcomes as it is not unusual to see a white foreign professional woman in the arms of a rural male with limited education and even less income.

These associations are desired by young males as it opens new vistas of opportunity for them. They are able to acquire some income, status and the possibility of an exit out of poverty to a foreign country. As with any endeavor there are associated risks. There is the possibility that the woman may move on to another male who appears to be a better prospect. There are occasions when the males are taken to the home country of the woman they are unable to fit in.

In the metropolitan country education is a premium, and he has little so his income earning potential is very low. What initially was a promising liaison becomes a disappointment to both parties. The appeal of the Rasta is part of the fuel for this arrangement. However the initial meaning of the Rastafarian movement as a resistance to Western colonial subjugation is lost. A nostalgic and idealized view of virility and male potency.