– says First Lady

IN order for the country to achieve its full potential, women have to be equal partners in growth and development, said First Lady Sandra Granger.
Women participation in development was at the fore of the discussions during the third annual WeLead Empowered Leadership Conference at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, on Wednesday.

The two-day conference featured speakers like Beyoncé’s Publicist, Yvette Noel-Schure, the First Lady, Founder of WeLead Caribbean, Abbigale Loncke and US Ambassador to Guyana Sarah Ann-Lynch, among others. The conference was held under the theme, “Powherful: transition from inspiration to action.”

“We continue to struggle for the right to education, for representation in decision-making bodies, gender parity and equal pay…I continue to look for the day when the value of the unwaged work, which many women do in the various spheres of their lives, is recognised and quantified,” said the First Lady.

She said almost 40 years after the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women, women in many parts of the world are still discriminated against and are still demanding equal rights.

The First Lady believes that women’s empowerment is underpinned by education because it is through education that a woman begins to level the playing field.

“It is through education that she gains employment and moves forward and upward in her chosen career. It is through education that she improves her economic viability and that of her family and through education that she gains confidence in herself and empowers herself,” said First Lady, Granger.

She encouraged women to start thinking for themselves and step outside the boxes, which they are placed in, and follow and fulfill their dreams. “I believe that empowerment comes from knowing yourself and the value of what you bring to the table. And as women, we bring a lot,” said Ambassador Ann-Lynch.

The ambassador referred to data that supports the notion that when you bring women into the political and economic life of a country, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) goes up and the poverty rates go down.

She said it is proven that companies with more women in higher management positions achieve higher profits. “When women participate in the decisions, there is an increase of peace, prosperity and security. History shows when at a peace table, women build coalitions and work hard to build consensus,” said Ann-Lynch.

She believes that women need to be involved in every aspect of shaping the world which they live in, but they need the tools to do that. There are, however, barriers and obstacles which prevent women from achieving their full potential.

“Talented women everywhere are working 24 hours a day and still get discouraged and they cannot seem to get ahead. Every day, sexism is still with us. We have all felt it. The meetings where your ideas are ignored, a man says the same thing and he gets the credit.”
“The direct assaults on women, who are attacked and then blamed for wearing the wrong thing or being in the wrong place at the wrong time,” said the ambassador. Despite the inequalities, she encouraged women not to give up because nothing will be improved unless they improve it. The ambassador also challenged women to raise their voices and speak about their opinions.

“Use your outdoor voice! Men do it, so why can’t we? Follow your instincts. Empower yourself, since it has clearly gotten you this far.

“Resist negative people and negative thinking. Envision a future where you want to go and join with others to go there. Build on each other’s ideas. Put people first. Most importantly, believe in yourself. Build on your strengths and always insist on a better tomorrow,” said Ann-Lynch.

The US embassy has been helping women to achieve their goals and become empowered. The embassy sponsors people like Loncke and gives them the opportunity to participate in business exchange programmes like Young Leaders of America Initiative (YLAI) to increase their leadership and business skills.

On a larger scale, the US state department sponsors the Women of Courage award every year, recognising women around the globe who have demonstrated exceptional courage and leadership in advocating for peace, justice, human rights, gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Since 2007 more than 120 women from 65 different countries have been recognised for making a difference. In February the US established the Women’s Global Development and Prosperity Initiative, the first whole-of-government effort to advance global women’s economic empowerment.

The initiative seeks to reach 50 million women across the globe by 2025 through US government activities, private-public partnerships, and a new innovative fund, all focused on three pillars: women prospering in workforce, women succeeding as entrepreneurs and women enabled in the economy.