In commemoration of International Women’s Day, the Department of Gender Relations organized a church service to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.

Janey Joseph, Acting Director of the Department of Gender Relations, said although Saint Lucian women have accomplished much, there are still many more advancements to be made.

“We don’t have as many concerns in reference to women in leadership, and women in education; however, the inequality between men and women that exists in the world also affects Saint Lucia and the Caribbean region. Incidentally, we are conducting a review on gender equality and the advancement of women, and we are finding that while there have been advancements in certain areas, we are lagging behind in others.

“It is interesting to note that the areas in which people believe that we have advanced are those in which we still have a lot of work to do. For instance, in the area of women in decision making and leadership, that leadership does not go to the highest levels of decision making which is something that we want to encourage as much as possible.”

Ms. Joseph indicated that the results of the review will be made available to the public in the near future.

International Women’s Day, annually celebrated on March 8, was held under the theme “Think Equal, Build Smart, Innovate, and Change.”