Women in Guyana represent half of the population (49.67%) but there remains much work to be done to achieve gender equity and equality. Women, representatively, continue to be excluded from active and meaningful participation in the national decision-making processes that could lead to shaping policies and programmes that will positively impact them and the family.
No society can develop with half its population left behind. We cannot lift our family up unless we lift our women and our girls up. It is time we get serious about our national development, a development that must be evenhanded.
Last Sunday was Mother’s Day. On that day attention was given to celebrating our women, rightly so, but there is the need to engage in more meaningful efforts, on a day-to-day basis, to celebrate and empower them as evident by the statistical disparities.
Guyana ranks 115 out of 189 countries in the Gender Inequality Index (UNICEF, 2021).
A recent United Nations (UN) Women Report on Guyana stated:-
“30.2% of women aged 20–24 years old who were married or in a union before age 18. The adolescent birth rate is 73.7 per 1,000 women aged 15-19 as of 2013, down from 78 per 1,000 in 2012. In 2018, 10.5% of women aged 15-49 years reported that they had been subject to physical and/or sexual violence by a current or former intimate partner in the previous 12 months. Moreover, women of reproductive age (15-49 years) often face barriers with respect to their sexual and reproductive health and rights: despite progress, in 2014, 51.5% of women had their need for family planning satisfied with modern methods.”
A World Bank Report stated 169 women die per 100,000 live births due to pregnancy-related causes in Guyana, representing the highest mortality rate in the region.
These statistics are deserving of national conversations that could lead to influencing policies to address attendant problems. The UN advised closing the gender gap is essential for achieving gender-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) commitments in Guyana. The country, according to this report, shows low performance in closing the gap in economic, political, social and environmental participation.
There is expectation, not unreasonable, that with the advent of our oil and gas exploration the life of every Guyanese is expected to improve drastically. By extension the burden that women face in shaping society through their offspring are expected to be much improved and lighter. Instead, there are signs things are getting harder. Almost half the society live on less than GY$ 1200 per day. Inspite of the PPP boast on Education spending, the World Bank pointed out the performance of our children continue to lag behind their Latin American and Caribbean counterparts.
Women today are playing a major role shouldering not only traditional responsibilities but are in many instances joint or soul providers as well as protectors. Mothers are seeing their men folk; their children being emasculated by the PPP government. They see their rights being slowly eroded and indignities becoming more commonplace and acceptable.
We see the increasing role played by women in private security companies and the impact of these on the families. Many are vending day and night and can barely survive, others are being forced into that aged profession and among these are a younger generation who are most vulnerable. Many, as they try to alleviate their circumstances, find themselves as those in Mocha did- with their homes dismantled and their livelihood destroyed.
We must also stand up and protect women by demanding this government improve conditions favourable to mothers and their families. Improve on the struggle to reduce maternal deaths and infant mortality, better health care services, improve on infant and maternal malnutrition figures by providing children from birth to the primary school level with food cheques or through a system that can be introduced where basic goods can be accessed. Provide each public-school child with free and balanced meals at schools, free text and exercise books, uniforms and introduction to computer skills.
We must ensure our women and girls are not left behind in this rapidly advancing technological period. We want early exposure of our girls, and programmes to facilitate in developing technological skills. We must have easy and reliable internet access and computers in every school from primary level. As a matter fact, we must have the vision to help our girls function in a rapidly advancing technological workforce.
We must call on government to set up a special unit and educational opportunities to meet the special needs of mothers and help them to take care of themselves and their children. Help women to develop rounded children through state provided healthy extracurricular, recreational activities, safe spaces and outlets for their passion and energy. We must provide more family planning education and find innovative ways for parenting classes for both parents, especially first-time mothers and young mothers.
We cannot continue to ignore the struggles of our girls and women. We must ensure that this oil rich country and government put in place measures that will empower and uplift them so that their roles will be more bearable and fruitful.
