Women in Latin America and the Caribbean - Cepal

47
Figure I.15
THE CARIBBEAN (10 COUNTRIES): COMPOSITION OF MINISTERIAL PORTFOLIOS IN THE LAST
THREE PRESIDENTIAL TERMS, BY SEX a
(Percentages)
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
9 16 6 8 7 10 37 32 23 0 20 34
I II III I II III I II III I II III
Economic Political Social and cultural Others
Women
Men
Source: Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), on the basis of replies to the questionnaires
sent to the respective countries, Santiago, Chile, 2006.
a
Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Vincent and
the Grenadines, Saint Martin, Suriname.
The increasing numbers of women in political, economic and social and cultural ministries, albeit
in different proportions, show that there are now no areas closed to women. Although women are not
often elected to be president or prime minister, they have served as such in six Caribbean countries: Haiti
and Guyana have had female presidents, while Bahamas, Dominica, Haiti, Guyana, Jamaica and the
Netherlands Antilles have had female prime ministers, twice in the case of Dominica and five times in the
Netherlands Antilles (see table I.6). Five English-speaking Caribbean countries have had a female
governor-general and a female governor was elected in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico for the first
time in 2000. In turn, this governor appointed two female judges to the supreme court, thereby increasing
the percentage of female supreme court judges from 0% to 33%. 17
17
Information provided to ECLAC by the Office of the Women’s Advocate of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
on 29 May 2007.