Jamaica will host its first all-female sitting of Parliament on February 21, 2023.

The announcement was made by Olivia Grange, minister of culture, gender, entertainment and sport, who said all members of parliament were asked to elect a woman between the ages of 18 and 25 to participate.

“We have filled the space, and last weekend we started the training, and we have some really bright young women, and I am looking forward to that sitting,” Grange said.

In recent times, there have been conversations by both the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the People’s National Party (PNP) about increasing the number of women in Parliament.

At the end of the debate, the House of Representatives approved the motion to amend the Standing Orders to establish the first Women’s Parliamentary Bicameral Caucus.

Grange noted that this was a historic day for Jamaica, as the nation joins the rest of the world which has set up a bicameral caucus.

“I am just happy. It crosses the political divide and it’s a combination of the Upper and the Lower House, and every single member of this House can be proud that we are part of history,” she said.

The bicameral caucus will allow each participant to engage in constructive dialogue on issues that are important to women in Jamaica. It would also facilitate networking opportunities and foster professional development that will allow the women to participate in the legislative process in a gender-responsive manner.

This follows another historic achievement that took place during the country’s last general election on September 3, 2020.

A total of 30 women contested for the seats in the 2020 election. The results saw a record 18 women being elected to Parliament.

Women now form 28.5 per cent of Parliament. The JLP has 14 women who were victorious in the last election and the PNP has four.

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