The Caribbean region continues to be fraught with low levels of productivity, declining trade competitiveness, high national debt levels amongst other economic woes. It is now, more than ever critical that policymakers pay close attention to the fundamental relationships that exist amongst gender, trade, and socio-economic development in the Region.
Gender plays a key role in how our societies and economies are shaped, and some of the features may be contributing to low levels of productivity. In fact, a study has shown that women-owned firms in the Region have seen lower levels of productivity than those owned by men.
Theresa Campbell-Carbon, Executive Director of Dominica Association of Industry & Commerce, DAIC, was amongst 12 participants from 9 Caribbean countries to attend a workshop held in Barbados from 23 to 26 November 2015. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, UNCTAD, partnered with the Caribbean Development Bank, CDB, to provide training to stakeholders in analyzing the economic and social drivers on gender inequality as a means of reducing poverty and vulnerability. In addition, this training serves in support of assisting both women and men achieve their full potential.
The objectives of the workshop were to provide participants with the tools and resources that are needed to recognize the important role of gender in the Caribbean’s trade and economic development agenda. In addition, the workshop sought to equip them with the skills needed to integrate gender-based concerns into trade policy and programming at the national level.
Those who participated in the workshop agreed that the Region was limited in its capacity to analyze the relationship between trade and gender and to recognize the different roles played by men and women in different parts of the economy. There is also a need to secure sex-disaggregated data which is pivotal in supporting the need for action in this area.
The role of the private sector in Caribbean development was highlighted in the workshop and the DAIC stands ready to embark on a number of initiatives in the New Year to address these issues in the local economy.
Has a study ever been done to see if female owned and operated companies in the Caribbean are less productive compared to companies owned and operated by males?
What about companies (or employees) in Dominica?
If it is found that companies owned and operated by women are less productive there should be another study to find out why. Perhaps there is a university student who will accept the challenge of writing a thesis on this. Anybody who can dig out the facts would be doing their nation and women everywhere a great favor.
Personally, I have always believed when women are given equal access to education, and have equal job opportunities they can usually do as well and sometimes better than the men. The corporate world must accept this. Men who are intimidated by highly capable women need to work out their own problems and make room for women who are now ready to crash through the corporate glass ceiling.
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill, Evangelist.
Only narrow minded people think that a woman can ever be equal to man. It has never been and will never be. It doesn’t matter what the economic status of a woman may be. It’s just a wishful thinking.
\”The Caribbean region continues to be fraught with low levels of productivity, declining trade competitiveness, high national debt levels amongst other economic woes.\”
Relate that in the quote above to Dominica, and Skerrit especially, seeing that our nations main industry is the sale of passports to foreign criminals! And handouts from the red clinic.
Take a good look of all the islands from Jamaica in the North, to Guyana on the South American continent in the South; and see if you find poverty, and unemployment on any of the islands as you have in Dominica. What competitiveness are you talking about when Dominica has nothing to sell and to compete with?
All of you are a bunch of waste of time; you all grin your tooth as if you said something important, in the meanwhile nothing is done to relieve the nation from poverty, and backwardness!
Women all over the world are now rejecting the notion that they are second class in gender. So any improvement moving forward will have to begin with a debriefing from this mental attitude.
Then they have to form groups……companies or cooperatives for investments to create jobs in the private sector. Export and import substitution should be their goal. For example we once had two clothing factories, so now they can begin in that sector. Let us say a children clothing factory is operational, we have a local market and a Caribbean market fore sure. What about bedding and t-shirts to name a few.
We just have to look around and produce what we use on a daily basis to substitute local for imports.
All this talk and no action is getting nowhere fast.