Women on Bonaire have always had to be independent. This developed through necessity more than political ideas. It is not unusual for a husband to have relationships and children elsewhere, so women learn that they must be able to look after themselves and their own children.
Tourism has supported that independence by creating paid work for women. Earning our own income allows us to provide directly for our families.
But this opportunity also has costs. Working away from home means arranging childcare, which is another expense on top of the price increases tourism has brought to almost everything.
An after-school care centre has opened, and that helps. Even so, parents working irregular hours in hotels and other tourism businesses are not always able to collect their children on time.
Tourism work is not regulated strongly enough. I have seen friends lose their jobs simply because they became pregnant. Bonairians do not protest easily, and employers are allowed to continue behaving this way.
Tourism gives women an income, but a woman should not have to choose between keeping her job and having a child.
I am not saying life would automatically be better without tourism. The trade-offs are real, but so are the gains. Education is one of the most important improvements tourism has helped provide.
I also notice changes in children. Some show more attitude and copy the behaviour they see from tourists. Television probably influences them just as much, but direct contact with visitors may have an even stronger effect because it happens in front of them.
One issue for me is topless sunbathing. I do not approve of it, not simply because I want to tell tourists what to wear, but because it conflicts with local standards and influences the island’s children and men.
Visitors sometimes forget that a holiday destination is also a community where families live and children grow up. Behaviour that feels ordinary at a resort may communicate something very different outside the visitor’s own culture.
I would like tourists to adapt a little more to our culture, the peacefulness of our island and our values.
This does not require visitors to stop enjoying their holiday or become Bonairian. It means noticing the local norms around them and making a small effort to respect those standards.
Tourism has helped women become more financially independent, but we still need fair labour rights, affordable childcare and respect for family life. Visitors can help by remembering that Bonaire is not only a place to escape to; it is our home.