Above: Jamaican Culture Minister Olivia Grange

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Jamaican Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Olivia Grange is encouraging more women to enter representational politics in the country.

Women’s involvement at that level can only help in the development of policies necessary to “enhance not only their lives but also the lives of other women and men,” she said at a Regional Consultation Parliamentarians yesterday in Kingston.

“It is not that male parliamentarians are not doing their part, but I call on more women to enter the political arena,” she said. “An increase in female parliamentarians will bring issues affecting women and girls to the forefront of policy and legislative discussions.”

Grange said it was important for Jamaica and the entire region to develop policies to improve the gender gap in representational politics.

According to a recent UNDP report Guyana has the greatest rate of female parliamentary representation in the region, with 30 percent of its parliament members being female.

Jamaica was at 16 percent, according to the report.

Grange’s words follow a call by Dr Marcia Forbes earlier this week in Caribbean Journal for more women to get involved in Jamaican politics.