ELIZABETH JOHNSON has dug roads, carried water, tramped from door to door, and sweated herself into a dripping mass during motorcades and political rallies -- for the sake of her party.

On calmer nights her grandchildren have dozed sitting one each on her feet, holding onto to her calves, while she listens to fiery speeches from party bosses.

She does it, she says, stopping to think, because, well, she has always done it and her father was also a party man. Johnson, a domestic worker who hustles to eke out a living and raise her two grandchildren, like many women helps to keep the homefires of her party burning and turns up the heat during political campaigns. It's all in the effort to bring out the vote, says this rural Jamaican who harbours the dream that one day her "ship will come in".

More specifically, Johnson says she wants taxi fare and lunch money for her grandchildren, running water in her one-room house, and a job. If "ah could get likkle work ah wouldn't have to depend on nobody -- not even di pickney dem parents who run whey gawn leave dem."

The yearning for a better life reflected in Johnson's voice isn't limited to female voters, of course. Traditionally, while women have provided much of the force in grassroots politics, acting as indoor and outdoor agents, canvassing for votes, and organising fundraisers, their needs have not been mirrored in pre-election debates or post- election policies. Women have largely been content to support men in their bid for office without demanding payment for service so rendered.

As another election nears, we ask the question, what do women need?

It is hard to identify a gender platform because women really want the same things as men, says Dr. Hermionie McKenzie, lecturer in the Department of Sociology at the University of the West Indies.

Gender researcher Linnette Vassell takes it further. "We want the same as men, but more." She notes that the female unemployment rate is twice that of men. The overall unemployment figure last year was 15 per cent but broken down along gender lines, the rate was 21 per cent for women, compared to 10.3 per cent for men. In the under- 25 age group, roughly one out of every four man is jobless, compared to almost two out of every four women in the same category.

"This is what I mean when I say that we need the same but more. The vulnerability of women is greater," says Vassell.

The researcher believes that women need affirmative action in the area of employment and that concrete steps should also be taken to give them higher paying jobs. Although women are the main breadwinners in more than four out of every 10 households, those who employ them still feel comfortable paying them less than men in the same age group, educational level and abilities, she notes.

Among the needs of females are also those "basic services fundamental for the dignity of women and (that) assist women in carrying out responsibilities with less stress," Vassell adds. In many communities there is still no reliable source of running water and no proper system for the disposal of faecal matter.

Women are also asking for peace and security, says Vassell. She notes that while more sexual crimes are being reported, one of the most distressing elements in a number of communities is the situation where it's almost a rite of passage for boys and men to have sex with young girls in order to get into a gang. "People have to take away their young girls because of gang leaders."

The recently published manifesto, "Healing the Nation: Women's Manifesto for the prevention of sexual injustice", produced by Women's Media Watch (and endorsed by a range of women and human rights groups) addresses the issue of safety and protection from sexual abuse, calling on political parties and parliamentarians to publicly commit to:

1: State-funded public education programme aimed at preventing rape and sexual crimes;

2: Immediate establishment of a confidential emergency phone line direct to the police and to Crime Stop to report threats and sexual crimes; and

3: Establishing a network of 16 shelters for victims of sexual violence within two years.

Vassell, who is affiliated with the Jamaica Women's Political Caucus, says other realities facing women include workplace sexual harassment, which "is all the more serious in the context of the spread of HIV"; and the fact that many women remain in unhealthy relationships because they are economically vulnerable -- unable to finance themselves and their children.

SET UP A MINISTRY OF WOMEN

Women's Media Watch in the manifesto suggests appointing "a Minister with the sole responsibility of women's affairs; allocate resources adequate to the effective discharge of its mandate and appoint a broad-based National Commission on Women to advise the Minister."

Adds Vassell: "We also need a Commission on Gender and Social Equity."

Number 10 of the manifesto also calls on elected officials to increase the level of women's participation in politics and decision making by 40 per cent. "This should be reflected in the next Senate and the fielding of female candidates in the Local Government elections as well as on the boards of state-owned enterprises."

Not everyone is convinced, however, that women would receive greater direct benefit if more women were in power. Sociologist Dr. Hermionie McKenzie observes that "even when women get elected as Members of Parliament (they) come under more pressure to be fair to everyone." Also, they may not receive the support of the female voter.

Dr. McKenzie notes that while a few young women may see older women as a source of inspiration and as role models, the average female is likely to throw her support behind "capable men."

She adds, however, that women make up 51 per cent of the population and should be represented to the same degree in the corridors of political power. In has been noted, says Dr. McKenzie, that in democracies with higher women representatives, there is more legislation on family benefits and a greater focus on human issues.

In the meantime, Vassell and the supporters of the Women's Manifesto, vow to do all they can to bring the issue of women's needs to the fore. "We will be designing a campaign (to promote the manifesto). We will get to decision-makers at all levels. We have to try to build links and support from the women within the political process across the parties to understand and support and work together around these issues. These issues have no political bounds," says Vassell.