Editorial
Gender Balance - A Plus forthe House
With barely six weeks to go before the GeneralElections on November 8, the full slate of candidates is now knownand the public has the opportunity to assess and compare thosewho have offered themselves as political leaders for the CaymanIslands.
Fifty-seven candidates are vying for 15 seats in the LegislativeAssembly, a number, which on the surface seems to suggest a certainvibrancy in the political process. Some may also read into thisthe people's expression of a strong desire for change from thepresent corps of representatives.
Even a cursory examination of the list will reveal something insidious,which should be cause for contemplation -- women make up just26 percent of the candidates. In a society that has traditionallybeen a matriarchal one, this limited representation of women inthe political process must be viewed with concern, and perhapstrepidation.
Caymanian women have always stepped up to the plate to lead andmaintain the family, business and government departments whenthe men went to sea. Up until a few years ago, it was a womanwho headed the Customs Department. Today, a woman is Chairpersonof the Immigration Board, the past head of the Trade and BusinessLicensing Board, the Permanent Secretary in charge of hiring forthe Civil Service and so is Clerk of the Assembly.
Across Cayman's major businesses and social services, women playcritical managerial roles. A woman is at the helm in one of thefastest growing construction companies in the islands, a testamentto a certain adaptability and fortitude in a male-dominated field.
We may also witness the several who occupy positions as corporatecommunications managers at enterprises such as the Cayman IslandsHealth Services, Caribbean Utilities Company, Cable and Wireless,Cayman National Bank, Bank of Butterfield and others. In thisrole, women are the gatekeepers of the critical information forthe functioning of their companies as well as for the public'sperception of these operations. It is at once a powerful and awesomelyresponsible role.
We could go on and on, to recall pioneering women like the lateMiss Annie Huldah Bodden, for many years, the lone oppositionmember in the Legislative Assembly of 1976 -1980; or we couldfocus on national hero, Mrs. Sybil McLaughlin, the first locallyappointed Speaker of the House; we could look to Mrs. JenniferGilbert, the islands' Government representative to the UnitedKingdom, as well as the numerous women in the teaching professionwho nurture and mold the future generations.
Internationally the political careers of some women present aclear case for their unimpeded access to the corridors of power.Margaret Thatcher presided over a watershed period in Britain'spolitical history; Golda Meir cemented Israel's position as anindependent state and today, Madeleine Albright commands attentionon the world stage and in the United States' foreign policy arena,as does Janet Reno in the role of attorney general.
Nevertheless, despite the clear strides that women have made inclaiming their rightful place alongside men in shaping their societies,in some ways, far too much is left to be done. In our churches,where women make up the majority of the congregation and havebeen stalwarts in the growth and maintenance of these organisations,there are still remnants of male discomfort with women takingleadership roles, particularly in the delivery of the word.
That more women are not represented in the political process,begs certain questions. Is is that women -- who have elsewheredemonstrated their leadership capabilities -- are not puttingthemselves forward as political leaders? Or is it that the process,as it is presently structured militates against a larger rolefor women?
The Cayman Islands is not alone in this skewed gender representationin politics. Elsewhere across the Caribbean, and the world, thecontinued domination of the political process by men is all tooevident. A token number of women in government means an inadequatereflection and inclusion of their perspective in the running ofthe country. Just as the genesis of procreation recognizes bothmen and women, so too does the progress of society.
We submit, an absence of reasonable representation of women inthe Legislative Assembly means an absence of gender balance --in the deliberations and running of the government. As the electionsapproach, with the critical issues of proper, honest and accountablerepresentation looming, voters may wish to take this into accountin the exercise of their franchise.