Forefront – Acting Governor Franz Manderson and Acting Deputy Governor Gloria McField-Nixon

Cayman Compass

Election observers call for action to increase women in Parliament

Cayman has failed to introduce affirmative action to ensure women are properly represented in politics, an election observer group has found. This is despite the jurisdiction being party to a convention designed to combat gender discrimination for almost a decade.

A team of international observers from the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association highlighted that women — just over 49% of the population at the 2021 census — had about 26% representation in the latest group of MPs elected in April.

The observers said in their final report that the country should “consider the introduction of affirmative action measures to support the candidature of more women”.

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association report said, “There are no formal legal barriers, in principle, restricting the political participation of women, but there is, in practice, a significant under-representation of women in Parliament.”