Project
Strengthening Women’s Leadership in Jamaica
- Jamaica
- September 2011
The project aimed to address the under representation of women in decision making positions in Jamaica, particularly on the boards of private companies and public commissions. The project did this by: increasing the participation of women through training and awareness building and increasing the participation of women in leadership in community based organizations, including school boards, also through training and awareness building. It also sought to create a national conversation on the need to open spaces for women to participate in decision making. There was also a separate women’s leadership research activity undertaken in Trinidad and Tobago. Although women comprise more than 70% of university graduates in Jamaica, only 13% of parliamentarians are women and only 16% of the board positions in the private sector are filled by women. The project believed that by training 100 women it could make a strategic infusion of talented and enthusiastic women into the boardrooms, and transform their gender dynamics. The project met its main objective of increasing the number of qualified women trained and available for service on public commissions and private sector boards. Some of these women were already high profile leaders and board members, but most were entry and mid-professional women with leadership potential that still remained to be tapped.
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- Women's empowerment
- Jamaica
- September 2011
The degree to which the project met its anticipated outcome of increased national awareness and action in support of the participation of women was hard to determine. The project did reach women beyond the project participants but, without baseline or post-project information, the extent of this reach was an unknown. Anecdotal information suggests there was some effect, most notable in the National Educational Council volunteers. But the cultural and social attitudes that prevent gender parity are deeply entrenched and it will take more than time and/or the quotas recommended by the grantee to achieve true gender equity.
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- Women's empowerment
- Jamaica
- September 2011
The grantee had difficulty recruiting project staff because of the low salary levels and because it under-estimated the level of effort which it would take to mobilize the women outside of Kingston. This delayed implementation of some activities and required a three month no-cost time extension.
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- Women's empowerment
- Jamaica
- September 2011
The impact of the project was visible in the demeanour and sense of confidence in the participants. This was most visible for the entry level women, returning professionals and community level women, although even some of the senior level women appeared to have gained an increased sense of purpose and interest in serving on boards.
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- Women's empowerment
- Jamaica
- September 2011
The training included a practical exercise where by the 10 women were given small sums of money to implement a community project in their area of interest. This served to reinforce the learning and provided hands on experience to these women in a mentored environment. This helped ensure the success of most mini-projects which in turn helped increase the trainees’ confidence and self-esteem and contributed to their community’s perception of them as leaders.
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- Women's empowerment
- Jamaica
- September 2011
The grantee leveraged its network of domestic and international partners to help develop the training curricula and to identify women for training. Its use of accomplished and well known women as trainers served as a draw for the women to participate as well as provided real world experience for the trainees.
