Prime Minister Holness Commits to Gender Equity on Boards
March 8, 2018The Full Story
Speaking at a special International Women’s Day Breakfast hosted at Jamaica House on Thursday (March 8), Prime Minister Holness said the government will do a better job in promoting and selecting more women to the Boards of public bodies.
He also acknowledged that despite 15 female Parliamentarians in both the Senate and House of Representatives, more women must also be named to sit and Chair on Parliamentary committees.
“We will ensure that this time around that we are proactive, deliberate in ensuring a gender balance in the selection of our boards. Many of our boards are now up for renewal. We will ensure more women are selected to be Chairmen and to sit on the Committees,” stated Mr. Holness.
Noting that the status of women has improved today than in years past, the Prime Minister also acknowledged that the Government will continue to press for progress on behalf of women.
Mr. Holness said that it is his desire to ensure that the entire male cohort speak up for women.
“That is a conversation being had internally and I am certain that we will see more voices emerge. We do try to get it right and the debate is whether or not we should be proactive in doing it or we should allow it to evolve,” said Mr. Holness.
He also highlighted that there was a 4% increase in female employment for the period October 2016/17 totalling 22,000 more women employed to the labor force.
In acknowledging International Women’s Day, Prime Minister Holness expressed gratitude for all women in the society.
“Today it’s not just a symbol, it is a meaningful expression of the government’s celebration of the role and achievement of women and an endorsement of all the actions for advocacy and support for the continued development of women in our society, for the increased participation of women in the society and I say as a man thank u for making me a better person,” said Mr. Holness.