— WGEC chairperson says

WOMEN and Gender Equality Commission (WGEC) Chairperson, Indranie Chanderpal, has called on Guyanese to become more gender conscious as the country strives to strike a gender balance.

Speaking at a forum organised in commemoration of International Women’s Day 2019, Chanderpal directed focus to the global efforts geared at achieving gender parity.

She reminded hundreds of Guyanese about Goal #5 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which highlights that achieving gender equality is necessary in ending poverty, and ensuring that all people enjoy peace and prosperity.

Achieving this goal will however pose a great challenge, according to Chanderpal.

“[The first is] that there are countries where women’s rights are practically non-existent because of historically-entrenched views of cultural norms and traditions, and secondly, there are religious and patriarchal views that will affect the achievement of gender equality,” she highlighted.

Chanderpal also indicated that many persons are of the view that women in leadership positions do not necessarily lead to gender equality.

“However, we must recognise that there has to be a starting point and, in this regard, the gender-conscious men must be encouraged to give the requisite support to bring more women into leadership positions,” she related.

Chanderpal added: “We must also recognise that while we can have the most progressive legislation and policies in place to promote gender equality, there is need for all the support that exists [because] not everyone is gender conscious and some are still opposed to gender equality.”

As such, she noted that it was necessary for the education system to include “gender considerations” at all levels, so young people could understand the importance of gender parity.

And for her, the theme of International Women’s Day 2019 ‘Balance for Better’, is an indicative one that should function to “galvanise” persons into action to find innovative ways through which gender equality and women empowerment can be promoted. This is especially needed in areas of social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure.

“We must also examine long-term planning; there are many institutions where an unemployed spouse or wife is left penniless after the passing of a spouse. Therefore, the issue of social protection must engage the attention of government and society as a whole,” the WGEC chairperson said.

Aside from ensuring social protection for women, she said gender parity means both men and women must have an equal standing in a changing world. “Balance for better is about everything in life,” she said.

“We must recognise that the world is changing; more women are becoming single parents and more women are becoming inclined to educate themselves,” she noted.

Due to this, she emphasised the need for males to have paternity leave as recommended in the recent report of the WGEC, presented to Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr Barton Scotland.

“As more women enter the job market, there is going to be more competition for lucrative jobs and it is therefore important to have fair employment practices,” the chairperson explained.