The first all-female sitting of the Jamaican Parliament will be held February 21, 2023, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment, and Sport Olivia Grange has announced.
She said the sitting will see the participation of young women between the ages of 18 and 25. All members of parliament were asked to nominate a young woman in that age range.
“We have filled the space, and last weekend we started the training, and we have some really bright young women, and I am looking forward to that sitting,” Minister Grange said.
She was speaking as she closed the debate on the motion for the amendment of the Standing Orders to establish the first Women’s Parliamentary Bicameral Caucus.
Members of the House approved the motion for the establishment of the caucus. The group will comprise a sessional Select Committee sitting jointly with a similarly established Committee of the Senate.
“Today is a historic day…. We have joined many other Parliaments across the world which have set up bicameral women caucuses that have served their Parliament well and their country and I know that this will serve Jamaica well. I am just happy; it crosses the political divide and it’s a combination of the Upper and the Lower House, and every single member of this House can be proud that we are part of history,” Minister Grange said.
The objectives of the bicameral caucus include facilitating networking, building solidarity, and promoting constructive dialogue on issues of importance among women parliamentarians across party lines and chambers and providing caucus members with professional development opportunities to further strengthen their leadership and their capacities to participate in the legislative process in a gender-responsive manner.
A record 30 Jamaican women, 18 from the Jamaica Labor Party (JLP) and 12 from the People’s National Party (PNP) contested the September 2021 general elections. Of these, an exceptional 18 were victorious, pushing the percentage of women in the Jamaican parliament to a record 28.5 percent.
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