The Republic of Haiti, which occupies the westernmost third of the island of Hispaniola, shares that island with Santo Domingo. Haiti's approximately 28,750 square kilometres (ca. 10,700 square miles) is occupied by a population estimated at 3,400,000 (1959). One recent work suggests that the rural population alone in 1960 numbered 3,500,000.2 Much of the country's land is not arable now, and never was; more than two-thirds of the natural territory is mountainous, much of it unusable for agriculture. Deforestation and erosion have ruined large areas as well.

This chapter aims to analyse the roots and dynamics of the sexual politics and argues that such a counter-power is part of the strategy of resistance/survival, yet it also embodies empowerment. The material basis of male dominance and of the gender hierarchy generally resides in men’s control over women’s labour. This control is exercised by excluding women from access to essential productive resources and by restricting their sexuality. In Haiti, however, patriarchy as a specific form of the sex/gender system is very complex.

The increase in humanitarian emergencies has left aid organizations searching for ways to better serve populations affected by disaster, and women have often been among those excluded. This study utilized a critical narrative methodology to explore the humanitarian aid response to the 2010 earthquake from the perspective of Haitian women, seeking to understand their experiences and stimulate change through raising awareness of their voices in scholarly literature.