Gender bias? - New report shows inequities in Jamaican boardroom appointments

A recent research has shown that many areas of inequity persist on Jamaican boards - both government and corporate.

The study, pursued between November 2007 and March 2008, was done locally, under the direction of a project steering committee comprising representatives of the Association of Women's Organisations in Jamaica/the Jamaica Women's Political Caucus, the Bureau of Women's Affairs, the Centre for Gender and Development Studies UWI, the Jamaica Business Women's Association, the Joint Trade Union Development Centre and the Women's Resource and Outreach Centre (WROC).

Forty-four organisations were randomly chosen to participate in the study. Thirty public sector agencies, along with 10 publicly listed private sector companies and four trade unions were included.

Over 80 per cent of the respondents were from public sector organisations, with 15 per cent from the private sector. The findings were presented at a workshop convened by WROC at the Courtleigh Hotel, in Kingston, on Thursday, May 22.

This is an excerpt from an article published in the Jamaica Gleaner on Monday, June 2, 2008. You can read the entire article at the Jamaica Gleaner website.