#BTEditorial – Families’ progress hinges on women’s progress

The achievements of women were celebrated on March 8, International Women’s Day; however, those strides still do not represent the targeted final destination.

According to the United Nations, achieving gender equality and promoting all aspects of women’s well-being are critical in the pursuit of successful economies.

We in Barbados are in a position to celebrate the elevation of women to some of the highest levels of service and achievement. From the leadership of President The Most Honourable Dame Sandra Mason and our Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley to heads of governmental and civil organisations.

Across the board, women are well represented and their voices are being heard. The catalyst for the kind of development that we are witnessing has been women’s pursuit of educational opportunities, particularly at the tertiary level.

Without diminishing the impact and necessity of homemakers and housewives, women want to be able to achieve more and are capable of doing so. One only has to peruse the graduation rolls at the University of the West Indies (UWI) and see the disproportionate number of women enrolling and graduating from the institution of higher learning.

At the same time that we are applauding the achievements of women in Barbados, there are millions around the world who wish they could be afforded even a fraction of what females in Barbados enjoy.

The UN has identified some key areas that are globally important and require urgent action, as they promote the theme this year, Invest In Women.

Among the priority areas is gender equality, which the UN has identified as the greatest human rights challenge. Even in the world’s leading industrialised economy, it is interesting to note that women are facing setbacks that are erasing some of the established forward movements for females.

An article published in Ms. Magazine, in January, stated: “Across the world, women’s rights are weak where women are politically underrepresented. The US lags behind 68 other countries in women’s political representation in national legislatures, with American women holding only 29 per cent of seats in Congress. At the state level, women hold only 32.6 per cent of state legislative seats. In the courts, women make up only one-third of federal judges and state court judges.”

It is rather interesting that in the country which offers itself as the beacon to the world, women, despite their participation in the workforce and advancements in education, have such comparatively low levels of political power.

“Research shows that where women have greater political representation, governments are more likely to support reproductive rights; adopt policies to reduce gender-based violence; support pregnant women, mothers, infants and children; promote equal access to health, infrastructure and education; and address climate change,” the publication asserted.

One could argue that despite the high offices that women hold in Barbados, when one looks at our House of Assembly where the political and legislative power rests, men still dominate.

Ending poverty is another area of concern for the UN. It is well established that a situation of women in poverty almost certainly equates to families in poverty.

In places like Barbados where a significant percentage of households are run by women, a consequential increase in the financial circumstances of women will automatically translate to improved circumstances for their children.

A 2017 UN report highlighted this country’s efforts to reduce poverty. It acknowledged that “pockets of poverty continue to exist alongside prosperity” while noting that more women tend to fall below the poverty line than men.

In this connection, the efforts of the Ministry of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs should be commended for several programmes introduced to alleviate poverty here. Among them was the One Family programme, which we learned during the ongoing Estimates debate assists participants with upskilling, curriculum vitae writing, and job interview skills, as well as counselling to cope with family dynamics that may impact their approach to handling issues.

Overall, on International Women’s Day, we have much of which we can be proud, even though there is still much more to be achieved.