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Labour Minister Senator Dr. Esther Byer Suckoo is of the firm view that there should be even more women in the political arena of Barbados.

Her comments came yesterday as she participated in a panel discussion hosted by the Barbados Coalition of Service Industries and supported by UN Women, under the theme “Throw Like a Girl: Women Propelling Through Business”. The event was held at UN House.

Highlighting the strides made by women in terms of equality and empowerment, and mentioning her own opportunities which allowed her to reach her dreams to be a physician, she lamented that the playing field, even with higher academic qualifications, still is not level for women.

As it relates to politics, the former parliamentary representative for St. George South pointed to the current five women out of 30 Members of Parliament in the Lower Chamber, and five women out of 21 Senators in the Senate.

However, she conceded that in order to see more women in parliament, more women must first be put forward for elective politics.

She noted, though, that a lot of women opt to run from politics, recounting that when she made the decision to join the political race, many persons were seeking to dissuade her by saying that politics spoils one’s character.
“Women run from that. They don’t want to get involved in the ‘dirt’ of politics.” To this end, she said it is incumbent on the women currently in politics to seek to be models for younger women to show that one can be effective without being “dirty”.

The senator, while pointing to the important role being played by women in the economy, lamented that for many they are still unable to secure financing from financial institutions. She also stressed the important role of Government as it relates to the conversation of empowerment, particularly against the backdrop of existing legislation.

Byer Suckoo stressed that for legislation to be effective there must be adequate research. This, she said, would tackle areas such as lower participating in certain professions and by certain socio-economic groups.

The Labour Minister also highlighted women who are caregivers as well as entrepreneurs, who seek to balance their work and care-giving responsibilities. This not only includes raising children, but looking after the elderly and persons with disabilities.

“We need to provide support for women who are taking on the care work previously unpaid instead of going out for formal employment,” she said. (JH)