Global Gender Parity Realities: Insights from NOW President Melissa Savoury-Gittens

The World Economic Forum’s estimate that global gender parity will take 134 years to be achieved seems less shocking and more of a grim reality check, says president of the National Organisation of Women (NOW), Melissa Savoury-Gittens.

“Around the world there is still a big gap between men and women,” Savoury-Gittens told the DAILY NATION yesterday.

She added: “There [are] still many rights issues, there [are] still issues in terms of empowerment when it comes to women. In order for us to achieve that full equality, it’s going to take a long time.”

Last Friday, country representative for the Inter-American Development Bank, Carina Cockburn, in addressing a gathering of young women from various secondary schools at the I Am A Girl conference at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre,

said it would take up to 134 years to reach full gender parity even though there had been significant progress in closing gender gaps globally.

While this projection might accurately reflect the global situation, Savoury-Gittens said: “I think that in terms of the Caribbean and Barbados, we still have a greater chance. We can see that women are in different forms of leadership and that there’s still hope.”

Savoury-Gittens pointed to Barbados’ female leadership as evidence of progress but cautioned against complacency.

“For Barbados, it may not seem that way because, yes, we have a Prime Minister, a President and a Deputy Prime Minister who are women . . . but that does not regularly flow down into the entire sphere of Barbados.”

Disconnect

This disconnect between leadership representation and everyday reality for women highlights the need for comprehensive societal change, she said.

“It’s not just for the Government to do. It’s not just for women’s groups to do. It is for everybody. It has to be a whole societal approach,” Savoury-Gittens said.

She advocated for concrete steps rather than mere rhetoric.

“We’ve been discussing giving women longer maternity leave . . . That’s accelerating action, putting action behind your words.”

The NOW president encouraged pushing for “stronger policies that promote equality” and ensuring “institutions reflect the diversity and power of people”. She also emphasised the importance of mentorship, noting that women mentoring women was something “we don’t do enough of here”.

The benefits of gender equality extend beyond women themselves, Savoury-Gittens said.

“When women drive, communities drive. When women have equal access to opportunities, economies grow. Gender equality is not just about competition between men and women.”

For girls and women who might feel discouraged by the 134-year timeline, Savoury-Gittens said: “We have organisations such as NOW who will continue to fight for them . . . . We still have people that are in the trenches and working towards making life better for them.” ( DS)