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Women to be trained for leadership positions
DONNA HUSSEY-WHYTE, All Woman writer
Monday, March 30, 2009
A cadre of 100 Jamaican women will be trained for leadership positions in a programme sponsored by the United Nations Democratic Fund under the theme, 'Strengthening Women's leadership in Jamaica'. The training programme follows on the heels of a study conducted by the Women's Resource and Outreach Centre (WROC), compiled by Carol Watson-Williams and sponsored by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).
The decision was taken to train women after the study found that in the last decade, women's participation on boards in Jamaica only moved marginally by two per cent in the private sector and four per cent in the public sector. It also found that while men believe overwhelmingly that women are prepared for senior decision making positions on boards and commissions, women themselves do not share this view as enthusiastically.
From left, WROC chairperson Linnette Vassell, Chief Justice Zaila McCalla, RBTT's Minna Israel and Senator Sandrea Falconer at the launch of WROC's training programme last Wednesdy at the Pegasus Hotel. (Photo: Garfield Robinson)
These notes were made at the launch of the training programme and the launch of the book (study) Gender and Governance: Implications for the participation of Women on Boards and Commissions in Jamaica, at the Pegasus Hotel last Wednesday.
The 100 women targeted are from all over Jamaica. Some will be trained as community facilitators, able to educate persons about the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). A database of women able and willing to serve on boards and commissions will also be established.
The training will examine corporate governance issues, knowledge of the historical roots of women's rights struggles in Jamaica and the Caribbean, the provisions of CEDAW and gender analysis of socio-economic and political policies, understanding of financial management issues and of transformational leadership.
Lorraine Belisle, head of aid, CIDA, said there is a link between gender, governance and poverty.
"Women are not always poorer than men, but are generally more vulnerable as a result of gender inequality. This is the crux of the matter, progress in the fight against poverty, inequality and promotion of sustainable development can only be achieved by addressing governance issues," she said.
In her address Sandra Glasgow, executive director of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ), said the PSOJ published its Code of Corporate Governance in 2006, directed at all publicly listed and non-listed companies in Jamaica engaged in the provision of financial services. The organisation is currently updating the code to incorporate guidelines for small, medium and large companies that are not listed on the Jamaica Stock Exchange.
"While the current code makes no mention of gender participation on boards, the new guidelines will be more explicit about the role that women can play in the governance of business of all sizes, both privately and publicly," she said.
She said that there is a compelling business case why women should be on boards. She noted that a major study conducted by the Conference Board of Canada in 2002 on women and corporate boards, suggested a strong link between female numbers on boards and good governance credential. In this, researchers found that more female directors pay attention to audit and risk oversight and control; that women more than men tend to consider the needs of more categories of stakeholders and that 72 per cent of boards with two or more women conduct formal board performance evaluations, while only 40 per cent of all-male boards do.
"One of the tenets of good corporate governance is that effective boards should have the right mix of executive and non-executive directors as well as the right mix of independent directors, reflecting a variety of skills and attributes," Glasgow said. But, she added, despite forward thinking, the absence of women from the boardroom appears to be entrenched in the corporate governance practices in Jamaica.
Women to be trained for leadership positions
DONNA HUSSEY-WHYTE, All Woman writer
Monday, March 30, 2009
A cadre of 100 Jamaican women will be trained for leadership positions in a programme sponsored by the United Nations Democratic Fund under the theme, 'Strengthening Women's leadership in Jamaica'. The training programme follows on the heels of a study conducted by the Women's Resource and Outreach Centre (WROC), compiled by Carol Watson-Williams and sponsored by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).
The decision was taken to train women after the study found that in the last decade, women's participation on boards in Jamaica only moved marginally by two per cent in the private sector and four per cent in the public sector. It also found that while men believe overwhelmingly that women are prepared for senior decision making positions on boards and commissions, women themselves do not share this view as enthusiastically.
From left, WROC chairperson Linnette Vassell, Chief Justice Zaila McCalla, RBTT's Minna Israel and Senator Sandrea Falconer at the launch of WROC's training programme last Wednesdy at the Pegasus Hotel. (Photo: Garfield Robinson)These notes were made at the launch of the training programme and the launch of the book (study) Gender and Governance: Implications for the participation of Women on Boards and Commissions in Jamaica, at the Pegasus Hotel last Wednesday.
The 100 women targeted are from all over Jamaica. Some will be trained as community facilitators, able to educate persons about the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). A database of women able and willing to serve on boards and commissions will also be established.
The training will examine corporate governance issues, knowledge of the historical roots of women's rights struggles in Jamaica and the Caribbean, the provisions of CEDAW and gender analysis of socio-economic and political policies, understanding of financial management issues and of transformational leadership.
Lorraine Belisle, head of aid, CIDA, said there is a link between gender, governance and poverty.
"Women are not always poorer than men, but are generally more vulnerable as a result of gender inequality. This is the crux of the matter, progress in the fight against poverty, inequality and promotion of sustainable development can only be achieved by addressing governance issues," she said.
In her address Sandra Glasgow, executive director of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ), said the PSOJ published its Code of Corporate Governance in 2006, directed at all publicly listed and non-listed companies in Jamaica engaged in the provision of financial services. The organisation is currently updating the code to incorporate guidelines for small, medium and large companies that are not listed on the Jamaica Stock Exchange.
"While the current code makes no mention of gender participation on boards, the new guidelines will be more explicit about the role that women can play in the governance of business of all sizes, both privately and publicly," she said.
She said that there is a compelling business case why women should be on boards. She noted that a major study conducted by the Conference Board of Canada in 2002 on women and corporate boards, suggested a strong link between female numbers on boards and good governance credential. In this, researchers found that more female directors pay attention to audit and risk oversight and control; that women more than men tend to consider the needs of more categories of stakeholders and that 72 per cent of boards with two or more women conduct formal board performance evaluations, while only 40 per cent of all-male boards do.
"One of the tenets of good corporate governance is that effective boards should have the right mix of executive and non-executive directors as well as the right mix of independent directors, reflecting a variety of skills and attributes," Glasgow said. But, she added, despite forward thinking, the absence of women from the boardroom appears to be entrenched in the corporate governance practices in Jamaica.
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