Celebrating International Women’s Day

For more than a century, women have been specifically celebrated on 8th March with the day marked as International Women’s Day. In 1911, the idea to celebrate women was first officially initiated, however the seeds of the idea came about in 1908, when 15,000 women marched in New York for better pay and the right to vote. In 1910, the idea was suggested during an annual event at the International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen. The idea grew, with Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland all beginning to celebrate International Women’s Day. In 1975, the United Nations started celebrating the day, eventually employing a specific theme each year. In 1996, the first theme was ‘Celebrating the Past, Planning for the Future’.

This year’s International Women’s Day 2024 campaign theme is ‘Inspire Inclusion’ under the hashtag #InspireInclusion.

IWD is not country, group, or organisation specific; instead, it is a day of collective global activism and celebration that belongs to all those committed to forging women’s equality, summed up well by a quote from world-renowned feminist, journalist and activist, Gloria Steinem:

“The story of women’s struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organisation but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights.”

International Women’s Day is powered by the collective efforts of all and inspires everyone to make International Women’s Day a day to truly make a positive difference for women.

Cayman’s female leaders

Strong independent women have been the backbone of the Cayman Islands since the islands were first inhabited centuries ago, running the day-to-day island living while men were away at sea earning a living fishing for their families. It took a while before women were at the forefront of Cayman’s political and business life, however, today, women play a significant role in leading the country, with Cayman’s top three leading roles of Governor, Premier, and Chief Justice, as well as other crucial positions, all populated by women.

The Governor of the Cayman Islands is Mrs Jane Owen who was appointed to the Cayman Islands in December 2022, a long-serving diplomat and civil servant who had been HM Ambassador to the Swiss Confederation and non-resident Ambassador to Liechtenstein in the years prior to her appointment to Cayman. Before that, she was the Deputy CEO and Chief Operating Officer with UK Trade and Investment and prior to that she served as HM Ambassador to Norway. Governor Owen has also served in various roles in India, Japan, Vietnam, and the UK.

Since taking up her role in the Cayman Islands, Governor Owen has applied herself with gusto to Cayman life, scuba diving with the Department of Environment to understand more about Cayman’s precious coral life, attending important fundraisers for worthy causes such as Jasmine Palliative Care, and taking the time to understand community programmes such as one2onecayman which supports young people, among many other activities and events.

Juliana O’Connor-Connolly, JP, MP is a groundbreaking Caymanian, serving first as Cayman’s first Deputy Premier and now first female Premier of the Cayman Islands. She also serves as the Minister for Finance & Economic Development, Education and District Administration and Lands and is the Elected Representative for Cayman Brac East.

She was elected to the Legislative Assembly (now Parliament) for the first time in November 1996 to represent the District of Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. In doing so, she became the first female to represent that district in the legislature. In 1997, Mrs. O’Connor-Connolly became Cayman’s first female Minister and served until 2000 as the Minister of Community Affairs, Sports, Women, Youth and Culture. She was an opposition backbencher for a short period before becoming the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly in 2001, making her the first female member of the legislature to do so.

Now in her seventh consecutive term as an MP, Premier O’Connor-Connolly is the longest-serving female Member.

Cayman’s Chief Justice, Margaret Ramsay Hale, BSc (Econ)(LSE), LLB (UWI) was called to the Bar of Jamaica, 1991 and worked in private practice immediately afterwards, appearing as an advocate in a wide range of criminal and civil matters at all levels of the Court. She became the Crown Counsel, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in 1994 and, after furthering her career in Jamaica, she moved to Cayman in 1998 where she was a Magistrate in Cayman’s Summary Court for a decade, after which she became Chief Magistrate of the Cayman Islands. Following a stint as a Judge of the Supreme Court in Turks and Caicos Islands and then six years as that country’s Chief Justice, Ms Ramsay Hale became a Judge of the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands in 2020 and the islands’ first female Chief Justice in 2022. She also serves as an Honorary Bencher, Hon. Society of Gray’s Inn.

Ms Ramsay Hale has participated in several engagements enriching Cayman society, including serving as a part-time lecturer in criminal law at the Truman Bodden Law School for a decade, as well as acting as a session leader in regional training workshops on criminal procedure reform, domestic violence and special measures for vulnerable witnesses under the aegis of the Commonwealth Secretariat. She has been a participant in consultative seminars on the development of a model law on Judicial Service Commissions led by the Commonwealth Secretariat, Wellington, NZ and the Cayman Islands and a keynote speaker and panel presenter on issues bearing on the independence of the Judiciary, Commonwealth Magistrates and Judges Association conferences.

She has held a variety of high level positions in addition to the above, including Vice President for the Caribbean Region, Commonwealth Magistrate and Judges Association, Council Member of the Commonwealth Magistrates and Judges Association, a member of the National Drug Council of the Cayman Islands and Chair of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Cayman Islands.

Other female leaders who are currently helping to shape the path of these islands include: Sabrina Turner, Minister of Health & Wellness and Home Affairs; Katherine Ebanks-Wilks, Minister of Sustainability & Climate Resiliency; Heather Bodden, OCI, Cert. Parliamentary Secretary to Tourism and Social Development and Deputy Speaker; Barbara Conolly, Member of the Opposition; Gina Ebanks-Petrie, the Director of the Department of Environment; Rosa Harris, Director of the Department of Tourism; Paulinda Mendoza-Williams, the Director of the Department of Children Family Services; Danielle Coleman, Director of Hazard Management Cayman Islands; Cindy Scotland, Managing Director of the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority: Natalie Urquhart, Executive Director of the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands, Melanie Carmichael, Chairperson of the National Trust; Joanne Lawson, soon to be President of the Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce; and Sue Winspear, Cayman’s Auditor General, among many more women currently in leadership roles.

History of strong women

Cayman’s history is filled with the names of strong women who worked tirelessly for the betterment of their country. They helped to create the foundations of the islands and helped move them towards the success story that the islands have achieved in the present day.

The Cayman Islands was granted its first written Constitution on 4th July 1959, with Ms Sybil McLaughlin playing a key role at that time, serving as Clerk of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council. She became the first person to hold this post in the Cayman Islands and the first women to ever hold that position in the whole of the Commonwealth. Ms Sybil was made a National Hero in 1996. 

In 1961, two years after women got the right to vote and run for office, Annie Huldah Bodden made history by being the first woman nominated as a Member of the Legislative Assembly where she served for three years. Then, in 1965 she ran for office for George Town and became an elected member of the Legislative Assembly, where she served until 1984.

Also, in 1962, Mary Evelyn Wood (known as Miss Evie) made history by being the first woman elected into the Legislative Assembly. Miss Evie was made a National Hero in 2011.

Irksie Leila Yates was an early pioneer in health. Born in 1899 and passing away in 1996, Nurse Leila was a revolutionary nurse, midwife, and resident of West Bay, famously known for walking from her home in West Bay to George Town every Monday and Friday to attend nurse training classes. She carried out her first midwifery case single-handedly in 1921 and continued to deliver more than 1,000 babies in their family home or in her own home before the government opened its hospital in 1952. She never lost a baby or his/her mother. Nurse Leila retired in 1971 and was recognised posthumously as a National Hero of the Cayman Islands. She was also featured in the ‘Pioneers in our History’ Cayman Islands stamp collection.

Miss Isabel Powery was a leader in education. Born in 1910 and passing away in 1984, she was known as Miss Izzy and made significant contributions to the advancement of Caymanian society through education. Having begun her career as a teacher’s assistant, in 1929 she opened her own private schoolhouse where there was a strong focus on both academic success and discipline and practical, real-life lessons were also taught. She was known to be incredibly kind hearted and charitable and was a much-loved character in the Cayman Islands.

Lucille Seymour is one of the most celebrated Caymanian women in its rich history. A former teacher and education official, in the Cayman Islands Government, she was Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Community Development, Sports, Women, Youth Affairs and Culture.

Sharon (Marie) Martin, was recently honoured with an MBE for her outstanding services to education and the community. She is the former Principal of George Town Primary School and in her honour the school will be renamed the Sharon (Marie) Martin Primary School.

Helping women help themselves

Cayman’s thriving business community has a significant number of female executives; however, men still outnumber women when it comes to the top jobs in business and finance. Here are some great organisations which can help women reach their full potential in the business community.

100 Women in Finance is a global organisation that empowers women in the finance industry. Its mission is to strengthen the global finance industry by empowering women to achieve their professional potential at each career stage. It operates under a guiding principle called Vision 30/40, whereby its goal is for women to occupy 30% of senior investment roles and executive committee positions by 2040. In the Cayman Islands, they provide compelling programming relevant to members’ professional lives and run the GirlForce 100 mentoring programme for young women.

GirlForce 100 is the flagship mentoring programme of 100 Women in Finance in the Cayman Islands. It pairs mentors with female high school students, exposing them to finance careers and providing guidance and support. It is a strategic community partnership between 100WF and the Cayman Islands Ministry of Education which provides support, educational guidance and opportunity to young women aged 13-25 years old, attending local educational institutions in the Cayman Islands. Visit https://100women.org/initiatives/invest-next-gen/girlforce100/  for more information.

Gender Equality Cayman is a non-profit organisation focused on achieving greater gender balance in the workplace. They provide tools and training to foster equal opportunities and help businesses create diverse and inclusive working environments.

The Business and Professional Women’s Club of Grand Cayman aims to develop professional and leadership potential for women. They advocate for women’s rights, provide mentoring and training programs, and engage in initiatives to empower women and children.

Girl Power Cayman is a non-profit organisation that mentors young women aged 15-25. They focus on equipping young women with communication and soft skills, promoting Caymanian culture and values, empowering them, and fostering a safe space for their development.

Join us in commemorating International Women’s Day and, in particular, the brave, fearless and tenacious women in the Cayman Islands who have been, and continue to be, hardworking leaders and advocates for the country.