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News from the Field: Finding and training Jamaica's women leaders of the future

Despite successes in education, women continue to be severely under-represented on Boards and Commissions in Jamaica. The absence of women from the boardroom in the public and private sectors appears to be entrenched in the corporate governance practices.

With UNDEF support, the Women's Resource and Outreach Centre is conducting a project to prepare more women for positions at the highest levels of public and private sector governance. By actively seeking out women with leadership potential and establishing a personal and professional network, WROC aims to help more women pursue and accept positions on Boards and Commissions both at the national and local levels.

A key component is a three-day training course covering corporate governance, women's rights, gender analysis of socio-economic and political policies, financial management and transformational leadership. The first of four sessions in different locations took place in Kingston in September 2009, with speakers from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds.

The training marked the first UNDEF milestone observed by Deloitte Financial Advisory Services as part of their pro bono monitoring of UNDEF projects in more than 10 countries. The Deloitte observer reported: "Overall, WROC should be commended for all the hard work that was put into the programme, and UNDEF should be proud of its investment in the future of Jamaican women."

The training sessions address one of the main obstacles to female leadership -- Jamaican women's general lack of motivation to strive for leadership positions. Many have yet to develop the confidence and determination to assert themselves in a culture which traditionally embraces women in a supportive role, such as in the training or service sector. Addressing this will impact how they situate themselves for high-level appointments, how they embrace the challenge when approached, and how they mentor other women to assume similar positions.

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