A Study of Women, Politics, Parliaments and Equality in the CARICOM Countries

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A Study of Women, Politics, Parliaments and Equality in the CARICOM Countries Empowered lives. WHERE Resilient nations. ARE THE WOMEN? A Study of Women, Politics, Parliaments and Equality in the CARICOM Countries WHERE ARE THE WOMEN? A Study of Women, Politics, Parliaments and Equality in the CARICOM Countries UNITED NATION DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME UNDP REGIONAL CENTRE PANAMA JESSICA FAIETA UN ASSISTANT SECRETARY-GENERAL UNDP REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN, RBLAC SUSAN MCDADE DEPUTY REGIONAL DIRECTOR REGIONAL Bureau FOR Latin AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN, RBLAC REBECA ARIAS DIRECTOR REGIONAL CENTRE FOR LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN, RBLAC Coordination: Neus Bernabeu. Programme Specialist Gender in Development Consultants: Monique Essed-Fernandes and Annette Tjon Sie Fat Reviewed by: Rosa Lucia Peña Copy editor: David Pettigrove Cover design: Oscar Riaño This document has been developed by the Gender Practice Area of the UNDP Regional Centre for Latin America and the Caribbean, with the help of the UNDP Country Offices in CARICOM. Special thanks to Annette Tjon Sie Fat and Monique Essed-Fernandes who developed the main research for this study and also to all the UNDP colleagues and experts that helped us to obtain information and participated in the peer review process: Isiuwa Iyahen, Gerardo Berthin, Adriana Ballestin, Atsuko Hirakawa, Carolyn Reynolds, Leith Dunn, Sharda Ganga, Cherise Adjodha, Lara Blanco, Chisa Mikami, Trevor Benn, Elsie Laurence-Chounoune, Asha Bobb-Semple, Jay Coombs, Armstrong Alexis, Meriam Hubard and Gerardo Noto. Where Are The Women? A Study of Women, Politics, Parliaments and Equality in the CARICOM, United Nations Development Programme, 2015 ISBN 978-9962-688-32-7 © Copyright, 2015 UNDP All rights reserved. The opinions, analysis and recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the United Nations Development Programme. Table Of Contents FOREWORD ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������8 INTRODUCTION ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������9 Chapter 1: Women’s Political Participation in Brief �����������������������������������������10 Chapter 2: Human Development and Gender Inequality ���������������������������������16 Economic Development ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 16 Gender Inequality ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 18 Chapter 3: Women’s Access to Legislative, Executive and Judiciary Branches ���������������������������������������������������23 Women and Legislative Power ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 24 Affirmative Action and Quota Systems in the CARICOM�������������������������������������������������������������������������� 32 Women and Executive Power ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 35 Women and the Judiciary ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 39 Women at the Sub-National Level ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 42 Women and Tribal Governance Systems in CARICOM ������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 47 Chapter 4: Women, Power and Influence to Promote Gender Equality������������50 There are Relatively Few Women in Political Decision-making ������������������������������������������������������������� 50 Reasons Women are Underrepresented ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������51 Powerful Women in the Caribbean Political Arena ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 53 Institutional Impediments Within Political Parties in CARICOM Countries������������������������������������������ 54 Low presence of women in leadership positions in political parties �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������55 Women’s leadership in political parties ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������58 Gender equality and political party agendas �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������60 Prioritization of Gender Issues in Parliaments ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 61 Women in parliamentary committees �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������62 Building capacity for promoting gender equality ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������63 Gender Responsive Budgeting �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������66 Accountability for Gender Equality �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 66 Gender Equality Advances on Legislation: A Review of Topics ������������������������������������������������������������� 68 Public Policies on Gender Equality and the Role of the Gender Bureaus ��������������������������������������������� 72 Gender Bureau Budgets ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������74 Women as Agents of Change for Gender Equality ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 75 Political women and the promotion of women’s issues ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������75 Women’s movements �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������76 Networks and Caucuses: Women Working Together ������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 77 Women’s caucuses ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������78 Women’s network associations ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������79 Chapter 5: Main Findings and Recommendations �������������������������������������������82 Main Findings ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 82 Bibliography ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������88 Appendix I: Health and Education in CARICOM Countries �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������96 Appendix II: Electoral Systems in CARICOM Countries �������������������������������������99 Appendix III: Women’s and Parliamentarian Representation and Leadership in CARCICOM countries ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������101 Appendix IV: Women’s Sub-National Representation and Leadership in CARCICOM countries ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������103 Appendix V: Summary of CARICOM Countries with Indigenous or Tribal Groups and their sub-national governance rights� ���������������������������������������������������107 Appendix VI: Summary of Relevant Legislation in CARICOM Countries regarding Gender-Based Violence (Dec 2013) �����������������������������������������������109 LIST OF TABLES Table 1: GDP, GDP/capita, foreign direct investment, official development aid received, and employment in CARICOM countries ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 17 Table 2: Gender inequality index, maternal mortality rate, adolescent fertility rate, population with at least secondary education, labor force participation ������������������������������������������������� 18 Table 3: Years of general suffrage CARICOM countries ��������������������������������������������������������������������������� 23 Table 4: Composition of national legislative bodies in the CARICOM countries, and percentages of women (as per December 2013) ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 26 Table 5: Current woman presiding officers in CARICOM countries, and year of first-time woman presiding officer in resp� countries� ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 31 Table 6: List of current M/W clerks of parliament in CARICOM countries (as of December 2013) � � 32 Table 7: Women heads of state and government of CARICOM countries since 1980 ����������������������� 36 Table 8: Percentages of women judges in CARICOM countries 2007-2013 ���������������������������������������� 41 Table 9: Sub-national government systems in CARICOM countries �����������������������������������������������������
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