We need to restore family values to bring about change in our society
“Be the change you wish to see in the world.”
-Mahatma Gandhi
AS we celebrate International Women’s Day, we must recognize the progress made towards securing gender equity and the empowerment of women in Guyana.

Increasingly, International Women’s Day is a time to reflect, solidify gains, charter a different course, inspire change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in our society.
In Guyana, we can proudly celebrate International Women’s Day, as there has been much progress made with respect to women’s personal and national development and their continued active participation in the affairs of the home, community and our nation.
Today, we must be proud of our accomplishment as a people, of achieving the millennium Development Goal (3) of eliminating gender disparity in primary and secondary education, and giving greater attention to the participation of women in the highest echelons of decision making in Guyana. In this context, I wish to salute Guyanese women who have led the voice of change for all women, past and present, including Guyana’s first female President – the Late Mrs. Janet Jagan, and her colleagues with whom she first entered Parliament.
Today, in our National Assembly, female representation is 32%! This is a significant achievement.
As an advocate for women’s rights, I concede that our country should be united in its recognition of the rights of our women and girls, as there is still a lot of work to be done. Today, our women have access to improved social services and health care, and greater access to training opportunities in many fields, including Engineering, Information and Communication Technology, Mining, Forestry and Medicine.
As a nation, we must not rest until all women in Guyana can enjoy a better quality of life, and benefit from the same opportunities as men, and where our society creates an enabling environment for women to pursue their dreams and aspirations in the same manner that a husband, brother, father, friend, boss or neighbour would. The time is now to embrace equal pay for equal work and to enforce compliance in accordance with the law. Equal opportunities as men!
I believe that this year’s theme ‘Inspiring Change’ is a welcome one as we seek to recognize and value the roles and contributions of our women in Guyana. In our homes, we must be supportive of each other in the family structure. The family’s well being is the responsibility of parents. It is absolutely necessary that we inspire our children’s future to enable them to achieve their full potential. The time is now to embrace equal pay for equal work and to enforce compliance in accordance with the law.
Too often, many of our women are denied their rights and are not given the recognition they deserve. As we celebrate, yet another International Women’s Day, I implore our men to treat women with greater dignity. Let us educate our boys to learn to respect women and to become upstanding gentlemen. But most of all, I beseech all women to conduct themselves in such a manner that would inspire a positive change in behaviour and attitude towards each other. As we seek to renew our commitment towards ‘inspiring change’ for the lives of all women, I wish to highlight the fact that the family as an institution is clearly broken in too many cases. We need to restore family values to bring about change in our society.
Each and every one of us has the ability to influence change, especially in the lives of our children. Whether you are a parent or a grandparent, a relative or a friend, an elder or a contemporary, a preacher or a teacher, spending a few moments mentoring a child can have an incomparable and indelible impact on the shape of that child’s life in the future. I challenge you to think now of the children in your lives, to make a little extra time each day, to talk with them, interact with them and utilise the opportunity to influence the state of the world to come.
In the words of Margaret Mead, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” It is my firm belief that with dedication and commitment to supporting each woman in Guyana, we can ‘inspire change’ to benefit all Guyanese.
Happy International Women’s Day to all Women in Guyana and around the world!