JBDC Explores Gender Equity in Cultural and Creative Industries

The Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) explored the issue of gender equity in the cultural and creative industries, at its Business Dialogue Forum held on June 27.

The discussion session, under the theme ‘Gender Standardisation in the Creative and Cultural Industries’, was held via Zoom and addressed topics such as gender policy, male vs female careers, and women in theatre and media.

Principal Director at the Bureau of Gender Affairs, Sharon Coburn-Robinson, noted that there are some impediments to gender equality, including gender-based discrimination and unequal access as it relates to the services that are accessible by males as opposed to females.

“Research shows that women in the CCI sector continue to fare worse than men, and thus we need greater transparency, greater communication and collaboration between government, cultural agencies, data scientists and scholars,” she said.

For his part, Culture Programme Specialist at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Cluster Office for the Caribbean, Yuri Peshkov, pointed to the need for “proper research and policymaking”.

He noted: “For policies to be gender-transformative, policy design must be built on comprehensive and replicable data, take a longitudinal outlook, present new visions of opportunities and actively work to eliminate harassment and abuse.”

Commenting on the importance of conversations surrounding gender equity, Chief Executive Officer at the JBDC, Valerie Veira, noted that “these discussions are vital and help us to see the substantive contribution that females bring to the table and how that contributes to the development of gross domestic product (GDP) in Jamaica”.

The JBDC Business Dialogue Forum provides an opportunity for discussion around current and topical issues impacting the MSME sector.

The weekly discussion forum features key thought leaders within various industries and sectors that provide insightful and relevant information on the topic being discussed.

The next session will be held on Tuesday, July 5, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. and will explore the importance of good negotiation skills for micro, small and medium-sized enterprise (MSME) operators, and tactics to be employed when approaching different stakeholder groups.

Persons interested in participating in the session may register on the JBDC website at www.jbdc.net.