Women on the move

IT MAY be coincidental yet quite fitting that International Women's Day is being observed at the same time that the country applauds the victories of Singing Sandra and Fay-Ann Lyons in the Calypso Monarch and Road March Competitions respectively.

That women hold these two national titles, winning them in open competition, underscores the aims and objectives of International Women's Day which celebrates the achievement and progress of women and seeks to advance their cause in all areas of public and private life.
The success attained by Singing Sandra and Fay- Ann Lyons is significant also for the fact that it provides further evidence of our society's enlightenment, that although pockets of prejudice may still exist — such as the membership policy of the Queen's Park Cricket Club — women are now free to compete with men in areas once dominated by their male counterparts and to emerge winners by the superiority of their talent.

Indeed, in certain vital sectors, most notably higher education, TT women not only outnumber men but are actually attaining better results. The consequences of this can be seen in the general progress that women have made in all fields, but their impact is particularly evident in the professions of teaching and journalism where they now outnumber, and even out perform, the men. In the fields of law and in most departments of medicine, TT women have also established their equality with men. And although they may not as yet have achieved that status in the higher echelons of the business sector or even in the turbulent world of politics, their progress in these arenas has also been quite impressive. The fundamental truth about all this is that our society is an open one in which opportunities for personal development are equally available to all citizens, regardless of creed or race or gender. And, based on how these opportunities are utilised, one gets the feeling that the quotient of ambition between genders has now shifted positively to the young female population of our country, that our young women are more concerned about, indeed more driven to, self-development and personal progress than our young men.

The observance of International Women's Day in TT should, therefore, be a positive, inspirational and forward-looking one but, at the same time, we should not forget the long history of struggle for equality, the contribution of pioneers and ground breakers such as Audrey Jeffers, Jemma Ramkeesoon, Stella Abidh, Lilias Wight, Isabel Teshea, Muriel Donawa, Beryl McBurnie, May Johnstone, Grace Abdool, Dr Elizabeth Quamina and many others who by their life's work gained respect and recognition for women and their place in our society. TT women have come a long way and they have much to be proud about, although they may not as yet want to claim total victory in their quest for equality. Certainly, the momentum of their progress is now irresistible.

The Network of NGOs is to be commended for coordinating an interesting series of events to mark IWD. We expect they will enjoy full public support and participation especially those involving the talent and interest of young women.   The idea of seeking nominations from the public for the award of Young Woman of the Year is a good one and so too is the organisation of an art competition open to youth. On Monday morning, an exhibition entitled "Every Woman's Place" will open in the foyer of the Finance Ministry and run for the rest of the week.  This should prove an educational experience for schools as the promiment women featured in the display will be present to share their experiences. The one-day national symposium at the Hilton on Wednesday, "20-20 Vision through Gender Lens," should also make the occasion memorable.