WANTED: A strong, unified Women’s Movement

The first recorded public activity to commemorate International Women’s Day (IWD) was held at the Peace Memorial Hall in 1974, organized by the women from local progressive non-governmental organizations.

Since then, there have been many activities – rallies, marches, meetings, social gatherings etc. to mark the occasion. Out of these have come many resolutions, appeals and commitments aimed at securing the upliftment of women and ensuring their equal place in society.

Next year will mark a half of a century since that historic first step and a most fitting occasion to take stock of the progress that we have made along the road of equality for women. It may well be appropriate for the government or some women’s organization to take the initiative to get an official gauge as to how far along the road we have progressed.

Even in the absence of a concrete survey or study, there is clear and unmistakable evidence of progress – in the fields of education and employment, in access to leadership positions in a wide range of institutions and organizations. We now have a woman as our Governor General, the first such female in that lofty position, the Speaker of the House of Assembly is female and we have had as well a female Attorney General, all unthinkable in the seventies.

Strikingly, female leadership is prominent in both the public and private sectors indicating that the discriminatory barriers have been breached.

Yet a closer examination of the society would reveal that we are far from being out of the proverbial woods. The inherent bias against women still exists in our society in spite of those impressive gains. It is exposed sadly in such areas as violence against women, of all ages, including sexual violence, trafficking of persons, primarily female and gender relations on a domestic level.

One can therefore conclude that the many advances have been more at an individual and sometimes at a sectoral level but have not benefitted women as a whole. Nor have the opportunities provided been utilized in a way to ensure sustainability.

Take Parliament for instance where, as we have noted, there have been advances at the individual level. But female representation in our Parliament is still below the recommended international standard.

This reflects the weakness at the national level – the failure of women’s organizations and women in leadership positions in national institutions to work together for a common purpose – that of getting more women elected to Parliament.

The National Council of Women should be a powerful body, supported not only by women’s organizations but also by important institutions and organizations in which women are prominent. It cannot just exist for appeals and resolutions without strong backing.

As we mark IWD next week, it will be as good a time as ever to reflect on these matters and make commitments to work together to ensure the completion of the unfulfilled tasks of gender equity.