Election observers call for action to increase number of women in Parliament

Cayman has failed to introduce affirmative action to ensure women are properly represented in politics, an election observer group has found. This is despite the jurisdiction being party to a convention designed to combat gender discrimination for almost a decade.

A team of international observers from the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association highlighted that women — just over 49% of the population at the 2021 census — had about 26% representation in the latest group of MPs elected in April.

The observers said in their final report that the country should “consider the introduction of affirmative action measures to support the candidature of more women”.

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association report said, “There are no formal legal barriers, in principle, restricting the political participation of women, but there is, in practice, a significant under-representation of women in Parliament.”

The team also recommended that Cayman should examine steps taken in other small jurisdictions to increase the representation of women.

The UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) was extended to Cayman in 2016.

The observer team, however, said, “The affirmative action provisions have not yet been utilised to advance the political participation of women.

“In 2024, the CEDAW committee clarified the obligation upon state parties to achieve equal and inclusive participation of women in public life through 50:50 parity in all decision-making systems. This includes political life.”

The observers said there was a slate of 58 candidates for the April election, with 19 of them women — 33% of the total.

Five women out of 19 elected MPs — the same number elected in 2021 — took their seats in the House of Parliament after the April election. Of the five, two were elected for the first time this year. Meanwhile, one incumbent woman did not run again this year and another incumbent woman was defeated in the election.

The Caymanian Community Party achieved a 50:50 split with two of four candidates elected from the party being women.

The Progressive People’s Movement also had two women MPs elected, but out of seven successes had a 28% showing for female legislators.

The Cayman Islands National Party saw one women elected out of four MPs — a 25% share.

There were also four independent MPs elected, none of them women.

The Caymanian Community Party had the highest proportion of women candidates — half of their 10 election hopefuls — followed by the PPM, who fielded five women out of 13 candidates — 38% of their slate.

The Cayman Islands National Party included four women among their 12-strong candidate list — 33% representation.

Just five women stood as independents, compared with 18 men, at just 20% of the total.

The nine-strong Commonwealth Parliamentary Association group from the British Islands and Mediterranean Region was led by Rob Ward, a deputy in the States Assembly of Jersey, a UK Crown Dependency.

The team also included mission coordinator Martin Vickery and election analysts Sandi Gale and Anne Marlborough, as well as parliamentarians from Scotland, Wales and the Isle of Man, plus three members of the association’s UK branch.

The government was contacted for comment but did not reply by publication time.