Challenges For Women In Politics

While women have made inroads into boardrooms and politics, they still face many challenges, even here in T&T. UWI Political Science Lecturer, Aurelia Bruce, says in 2007, the percentage of women serving in the House of Representatives stood at 26.8%. This figure rose to 31% by 2015. Although there has been an increase, Ms. Bruce believes women continue to face more pressure when offering themselves in the political arena or public life. The UWI Lecturer says many female leaders in the region have faced ridicule, including Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, former Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, and T&T's former Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar. She also points to one instance in T&T where President Paula Mae-Weekes herself was ridiculed for not having a family. Aurelia Bruce was speaking during a virtual seminar hosted by the US Embassy to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment in the United States, which guaranteed American women the right to vote.