BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – WOMEN in St. Kitts and Nevis have been commended for the contributions they continue to make towards the Federation’s economic development.
In celebrating International Women’s Day yesterday (Mar. 8), Junior Minister in the Ministry of Gender Affairs, the Hon. Wendy Phipps revealed that women make up over 50 percent of the workforce in the Federation, and as such the “Pledge for Parity” should be taken seriously.
“The women of our nation are our mothers, daughters, sisters, grandmothers, nurturers, teachers, burden bearers, unsung heroes, and masters of sacrificial living and giving for the good of the families they love and raise. Moreover, provisional 2015 employment data illustrates that of a total labour force of 25,866 workers, a total of 13,530 are females – which represents 52 percent of the workforce.”“
According to Phipps, the “Pledge for Parity” is meant to be “a call for gender-balanced leadership, women and girls being enabled to achieve their full potential, and inclusiveness in the workplace in order to eliminate gender bias, among other matters.”
She explained that the Federal Government applauds all women folk for their achievements, their collective legacies in nation-building, their undaunted determination and their zeal in advocating for the advancement of every woman and girl in St. Kitts and Nevis.
The day which is being celebrated under the theme “Pledge for Parity”, according to the Minister, falls in line with the United Nations mandate of pushing equality, “Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up For Gender Equality”.
Phipps indicated that the theme was deliberately chosen because of the slow pace to which the gender gap is closing, pointing out that the World Economic Forum in their prediction stated that the disparity is not expected to be minimized before 2133.
For many years, international leaders and women rights activist have called for an equal playing field for women.
“What this means is that at the current rate, gender equity is 117 years away. This is certainly not good enough and all of us currently living will certainly not be around to see that momentous, albeit seriously overdue achievement in feminine human development,” Phipps said.
She opined that this has shown that women continue to play an integral role in the development of wealth, national productivity improvements, economic competitiveness and socio-economic stability, while noting that many households in St. Kitts and Nevis are headed by single parents.
This emphasises the energy, effort, intellect, skills and talents of women folk in the Federation, Phipps added.
“To these giants of femininity, our Federal Government says bravo...job well done!’ You are all epitomes of womanhood. You are woman...We salute you all! Celebrations of International Women’s Day go back to the turn of the 20th Century when women began advocating for such rights as decent employment and the right to vote,” Minister Phipps said.
Several activities were planned for the day, including recognition of several astute women who play an important role within a number of sectors across the Federation.
