A tidal wave of women in politics

Dear Editor,

The date September 16, 2021 is forever cemented in Bahamian history for many reasons.

The conventional five-year duration of Parliament unexpectedly came to an end. The traditional May general election did not take place, which is why many scholars referred to the election as a snap election; the bell was rung amid record-level coronavirus cases and hospitalizations.

However, on this day, what has remained to be true is that for nearly two decades, no government has been able to capture two consecutive terms and based on this pattern, the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) rightfully took victory.

According to official results from the Parliamentary Registration Department, the PLP swept the election, capturing 32 seats, while the Free National Movement (FNM) secured seven.

Although, the PLP’s blue wave surged ashore washing away many FNM candidates, the underlying victory was the rise of six new women in politics — JoBeth Coleby-Davis, Elizabeth; Patricia Deveaux, Bamboo Town; Pia Glover-Rolle, Golden Gates; Lisa Rahming, Marathon; Leslia Brice, Sea Breeze; and Ginger Moxey, Pineridge.

They, along with political veteran Glenys Hanna-Martin in Englerston, bring the female representation to seven in the Lower Chamber.

You may ask yourself: what makes their victories so significant?

The simple answer is because the world of politics is globally dominated by men to such an extent that the United Nations (UN) has set an international minimum threshold for women in leadership and political participation at 30 percent.

In 2020, the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women published “Women in Politics”, which is a metric used to determine the percentage of women involved in the political area.

Interestingly, The Bahamas placed 150 of 189 states based on the percentage of women elected as members of Parliament to the Lower House of Parliament.

The UN recorded the five women of 39 members to reflect 13 percent.

According to the report, the percentage of women in ministerial positions stood at 6.7 percent, that being one to 15, which positioned The Bahamas at 166 of 182 states.

However, it was revealed that the Upper House, otherwise called the Senate, reflected a 43.8 percent representation where seven of 16 seats were held by women.

Nonetheless, the slate of women elected as members of Parliament (seven of 39) in the recent general election reflects 17.9 percent, which increased from the 2017 general election.

This growth is to be admired as it depicts the slight shift of the minds of the Bahamian populace as it relates to accepting women’s participation at a national level, which, despite the recent growth, still remains a significant barrier for women aspiring to be involved in political life.

Notwithstanding, the obvious stumbling block which discourages many, the political rise of women acts as an encouragement for women across the length and breadth of The Bahamas to remain hopeful that attaining such a high office is indeed possible.

Moreover, women in The Bahamas have overcome many feats and have seen many firsts in a short period of time.

Ever since 1962, when Ruby Ann Cooper-Darling became the first female to cast her vote, women have seen steady political progress:

The first to serve as a member of Parliament and attorney general, the now-Dame Janet Bostwick.  

The first female leader of a political party, S. Ali McIntosh.

The first female speaker of the House, Rome Italia Johnson.

The first chairman of a political party, Hanna-Martin. 

We have also witnessed the first woman to hold the post of Deputy Prime Minister and Acting Prime Minister of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas, Cynthia “Mother” Pratt, and most recently, the first female Leader of the Official Opposition, Loretta Butler-Turner.

With this historical backdrop, similar to their predecessors, the newly-elected female members of Parliament have asked for the mantle and have accepted the challenge to help steer The Bahamas through turbulent times.

With that said, we wish them continued success in navigating through uncharted waters. 

— Sanjay Kelly

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