Message in celebration of International Women’s Day, March 8, 2021
by Donna Every, President, International Women’s Forum (IWF) Barbados
Barbados – New president of the Barbados Chapter of the International Women’s Forum (IWF), Donna Every, said that the chapter was pleased to join in celebrating International Women’s Day and that it fully endorses the theme #ChoosetoChallenge.
“IWF Barbados is a chapter of women leaders who choose to challenge the status quo, whether it is women in poverty, gender inequality or the under-representation of women in STEM careers, on boards of directors or in other leadership positions. To this end, we will continue to work on our areas of focus: Women in STEM, women on boards and the financial empowerment of young women,” Every said.
To celebrate International Day of Women and Girls in Science last month, IWF highlighted eleven Barbadian women in STEM careers, through vlogs posted on their social media platforms, to encourage girls and young women to consider not only studying STEM subjects but pursuing careers in these fields.
“In the coming days we will be publishing the findings of our report ‘Evaluation of Board Diversity in Barbados’ which reveals the gender diversity index of boards of directors in Barbados. We expect this to generate much discussion and while we are looking forward to those conversations, we will be more focused on creating strategies to increase the representation of women on the boards of our companies.
“Today, on International Women’s Day, we acknowledge and celebrate the courage and dedication of those women on the frontline in Barbados, who have not only chosen to challenge the status quo through their careers, but who bravely face the challenges that this pandemic continues to present. Thank you for your stalwart commitment and contribution to our nation at this time,” Every said.
IWF is a membership organisation comprised of more than 7 000 diverse and accomplished women from 33 nations on six continents. Members include executives, government leaders from the local to sovereign level, international non-profit leaders, and luminaries from the academy, arts, and sciences. Its members are trailblazers, innovators, and pioneers united to advance women’s leadership globally and locally.
The IWF Barbados forum was started in October 2018 and is made up of 35 women leaders resident in Barbados from diverse backgrounds, industries, nationalities and experiences. (PR)