BASSEETERRE, St. Kitts – THE word powerful is defined as “having great power, prestige or influence, leading to many or important deductions”. Over the years, women have come a long way as many of the high profile jobs and positions in society were male-dominated.
An annual ranking of the most powerful women in the world measures ‘power’ as a composite of public profile - calculated using press mentions - and financial heft. The economic component of the ranking considers job title and past career accomplishments, as well as the amount of money the woman controls.
SKNVibes went into the streets and also knocked on a few doors to find out who are some of the women in the Federation the public views as ‘Powerful Women’. Although the word power had a totally different meaning to some persons, most of the responses were good.
Ranking in the top picks are Constance Mitcham, Paulina Hendrickson and Marcella Liburd. Here are some of the things a few persons had to say when the question was asked:
Constance Mitcham
- According to Chris Roberts, in his opinion Mitcham is considered powerful because she was the first female minister and she helped in the passing of a very important law for women which indicated that women can get pregnant and still keep their jobs.
- Dexter Fahie said he also considered her the most powerful because, as a lawyer, she has played a very vital role in society and had many persons looking up to her for advice. He said she has also made her mark as being the first female who was a part of the former government.
- An older man, Marvin Edwards, also declared Constance Mitcham a powerful woman because she was very influential in setting up women’s affairs and other major projects for women. He added that she was also very influential in the School Feeding Programme and helped many women to receive scholarships and senior positions in the government sector.
- Wallis Wilkin shared a similar view, adding that she has been an inspiration to many as well as one of the most respected lawyers in the Caribbean.
Mitcham, over the years, has accomplished a great number of things including being the first woman elected to the Parliament of St. Kitts and Nevis in 1984, where she served as Minister of Health, Women’s Affairs and Labour for three consecutive terms under the Peoples Action Movement’s (PAM) Administration.
She was appointed by His Excellency the Governor General to act in several other positions, including Acting Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis in May of 1995. In that same year Mitcham retired from politics undefeated, and returned to private legal practice in St. Kitts-Nevis, Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands and Antigua. She later founded and heads the Caribbean Legal Firm of Mitcham & Benjamin.
Mitcham was also a past legal advisor to the National Bank Group of Companies, the National Caribbean Insurance Company, and Casablanca Resorts and Chairman of The Cable Television Company; Chairman of the St. Kitts and Nevis Social Security Board; and Chairman of the Development Bank of St. Kitts and Nevis amongst a host of other things.
Marcella Liburd
- Police Commissioner Austin Williams said he views Macella Liburd as a powerful woman because she is a successful woman who has helped many others to achieve the same through her support and guidance. He said she has made significant contributions to sports in the Federation, has done a lot of volunteer work in the communities and is now taking up a new drive in politics.
- Clement ‘Bouncing’ Williams also added his opinion and choose Marcella Liburd as his pick. He said she not only makes things happen but she also does things, and is a person of influence, bright, athletic, honest and straight forward. “I think she would surpass the achievements of her mother,” he concluded.
- A man, who gave his name only as Martin, said he considers Liburd to be a powerful woman because of her role in the House of Assembly. He also said that she has helped a number of young persons in society and plays an active role in various communities, while she is now taking up politics which is something not many women can undertake.
Liburd has been a member of quite a number of clubs and organisations and has been actively involved in sports as far back as 1969. She took up the teaching profession for a number of years and was admitted to the Bar to practice as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Eastern Supreme Court in 1994.
In September of 1995 Liburd was appointed Senator and served until October 2005, during which period she also held the post of Assistant Secretary of the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party. As a Senator, she participated in the drafting of several pieces of legislation including the Domestic Violence Act and Equal Pay Act.
Still not convinced that she is a powerful woman? In 2004 she was the first woman to be elected Speaker of the National Assembly and has recently been selected as the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party Candidate for Constituency No. 2.
Throughout her years, Liburd has assisted many women with maintenance and other matters pertaining to women and children. She has taught several young persons, who were interested in becoming lawyers, about many aspects of the law and has assisted several organisations to function more effectively.
Paulina Hendrickson
- Lawyer Reginald James said that he sees the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Pauline Hendrickson as a powerful woman because, under the Constitution, she can stop any criminal proceeding without giving a reason and the converse is equally true. He added that she is also a very quiet and down-to-earth individual.
- A young man by the name of Jeffers was also in agreement with James, naming the DPP as a powerful woman. He said the position she currently holds in the Federation depicts that it is no longer a man’s world. Jeffers strengthened his opinion by saying Hendrickson has given women hope that they could do anything and be as successful as or even more than men.
- Terry said Hendrickson is definitely the most powerful woman in the Federation. He claimed that her power lies in her authority to put criminals behind bars and keep them off the streets.
Hendrickson hails from Nevis but has been residing in St. Kitts for many years. In 2006 she became the first woman in the twin-island Federation to be appointed DPP.
Before taking up the DPP post, she worked as a substitute teacher from 1975 to 1979, graduated from the St. Kitts-Nevis Teachers Training College in 1981 and worked as the teacher in charge of the Keys Infant School from 1986 to 1989.
Hendrickson was a Crown Counsel in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. In April 2002 and September to December 2005, she acted as Registrar and Provost Marshall and was appointed Assistant Registrar, Registrar's Department in 2003 until her current appointment.
Upon approaching a number of men with the question in topic, some of them said they do not consider any woman in St. Kitts powerful, while one of them said most women who are at the top are only their because of their political affiliation.
Another man said he considers a powerful woman to be an independent woman; a woman who can achieve things on her own. And Gloria Veira believes that being a powerful woman is not having a big job or any high profile in society, but those women who work and sweat hard at the factories and other places and have to maintain four and six children with only $250 and $300 a week.
