ILO teams up with Antigua and Barbuda Employers’ Federation to strengthen advocating for more women executives

Like many countries, female workers in Antigua and Barbuda remain a dynamic though  underutilized  talent pool. While women have advanced in areas such as skills development, training and certification, and as tertiary graduates, their situation in most workplaces, particularly among top-level management, tells a different story.

This inequality was confirmed in a recent ILO survey “Women in Business and Management: Antigua and Barbuda” which found that only 16 per cent of companies were led by female Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) while 71 per cent of boards were made up of males.

Since the 2018 release of the survey results, the Antigua and Barbuda Employers’ Federation (ABEF) has collaborated with the ILO Decent Work Team (DWT) and Office for the Caribbean on several initiatives to support the development of policies and programmes that advance gender equality in leadership.

Most recently on 22 April 2021, ABEF staff and members participated in the ILO-hosted “Gender & Diversity Virtual Workshop”. The practical one-day session was designed to improve how women  address power dynamics and gender disparities in workplaces, and to strengthen their advocacy efforts on women empowerment.

“The training will show participants how to identify and assess gender gaps in their own organizations. It will also share examples of strategies and interventions that are being used effectively to promote gender diversity in leadership,” said Mrs. J. Arlene Martin, Executive Secretary of ABEF during her welcome remarks.

The training was also designed to consider and address setbacks caused by the COVID-19 crisis.



“The effects of pandemic have worsened existing gender inequalities. Women are losing their jobs at a faster rate than men, and those who remain employed face growing care responsibilities that either reduce their working hours or add significantly to their working hours – paid and unpaid,” explained Viki Giulietti, ILO Caribbean Senior Specialist for Employers’ Activities.



“In this context, the workshop will emphasize why policies aimed at building women’s economic empowerment have become even more essential to build a new and better reality,” Ms Giulietti noted in her opening remarks.



During the training, a total of 40  participants  attended sessions that covered the following topics:

• understanding gender diversity and leadership in the workplace;
• strategies for women’s empowerment in leadership and decision-making;
• government initiatives to promote gender diversity and support women empowerment; and 
• sharing company experiences and developing an action plan.

“Participants learned how to develop tools and tips for situational analyses to see what needs to be changed. They also created strategies to promote women’s empowerment including action plans,” said Dr Leith Dunn, Former Head of the Institute for Gender and Development Studies at the University of the West Indies, Mona, who led the training. 

The Directorate of Gender Affairs also made a presentation on their work in promoting women’s empowerment, addressing gender based violence and responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The workshop concluded with a commitment from the ABEF and the ILO to ongoing collaboration to promote female leadership at executive and board levels.

 

“We were able to bring several topics to the fore during this workshop. The action list will be reviewed and I look forward to continuing this discussion to advance how we advocate for and achieve gender equality among leadership in workplaces in Antigua and Barbuda,” said Mrs. J. Arlene Martin in her closing remarks.