Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Vindhya Vasini Persaud, has called for stronger global action to increase women’s participation in politics while addressing the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations headquarters.
Speaking under the theme of strengthening access to justice for women and girls, the minister highlighted the global gender gap in politics: women hold only 27.5 per cent of parliamentary seats worldwide, and very few countries are led by women.
“In Guyana, our track record has improved significantly over the years while our law stipulates a quota of at least 30 per cent of women on political party candidates’ lists for elections. Today, 39 per cent of our parliamentarians are women and 37.5 per cent of women hold ministerial positions across multiple sectors,” she said.
Minister Persaud stressed that achieving gender equality in politics requires deliberate action, including stronger party support, safer work environments, and breaking stereotypes that confine women to “nurturing” portfolios.
“Addressing the rising harassment, social media abuse, and violence faced by women in political life. This is often a deterrent to women seeking office and has forced some to leave positions. Moving women beyond stereotypical portfolios of a nurturing nature. Women must be able to serve equally in any portfolio,” the human services minister asserted.
Minister Persaud is calling for stronger global action to increase women’s participation in politics while addressing the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations.