Why and how WE WILL support women

Up to now, Barbados, by some accounts, has done well in closing the gender gap. It is leaps and bounds above many countries in educational attainment and health and survival rates, according to the latest World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Report. [1]

Figure 1 - Source: UN Women

But look a little closer and you will find cracks beneath the surface, when it comes to issues such as wage equality, labour force participation and the representation of women in power. The UN women’s study Status of Women And Men Report Productive Employment and Decent Work for All: A Gender Analysis of Labour Force Data and Policy Frameworks in Six CARICOM Member States shows that although more women than men are in managerial positions, ownership and control of firms is predominantly in the hands of men (60% of firms are owned by mostly men or all men).[2] And although women are more educated than men (38% of women hold a university degree, compared to 31% of men), they are more likely to be unemployed or underemployed. In fact, in the Caribbean, Barbados has the largest share of women as compared to men employed in service and sales positions (82%) and one of the largest shares of women as compared to men employed in clerical positions (67%) (Figure 1). Barbados’ rate of degree-holding workers in unskilled positions (15%) is more than double that of the next CARICOM country examined in this study, St. Lucia (7%) (Figure 2).

Figure 2 - Source: UN Women

Although women are highly educated, they may be either underemployed in low-wage jobs or they may face limited opportunities while also shouldering a disproportionate burden of unpaid care work. This is why economist Marla Dukharan states “women are the Caribbean’s most underutilized resource, because women are more educated than men, however they have lower labour force participation rates and lower incomes, while taxpayers cover the cost of primary, secondary, and in some cases, tertiary education.”[3] It remains to be seen how the COVID-19 pandemic will further widen the gender gap, given its unprecedented impact on the livelihoods of Barbadians. However WE WILL is working fervently to address the gender gap by providing a platform to empower and unify women to reach their full potential in their professional and personal development.

[1] World Economic Forum. Global Gender Gap Report 2020. 2019. Available from: http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GGGR_2020.pdf

[2] UN Women. Status of Women and Men Report Productive Employment and Decent Work for All: A Gender Analysis of Labour Force Data and Policy Frameworks in Six CARICOM Member States. 2019. Available from: https://caribbean.unwomen.org/en/materials/publications/2019/10/status-of-women-and-men-report-productive-employment-and-decent-work-for-all.

[3] Marla Dukharan. Women are the Caribbean’s most underutilized resource: https://twitter.com/Marladukharan/status/1109419631792570374. March 23, 2019 [cited march 6, 2020] [Tweet]. Available from: @ Marladukharan