As a de­vel­op­ing coun­try, hav­ing a na­tion­al gen­der pol­i­cy is of prime im­por­tance. It is not mere­ly pro­tec­tion for women and/or a sub­mis­sion to fem­i­nism, but it af­fects all stake­hold­ers in our so­ci­ety. Im­ple­men­ta­tion and en­force­ment of such means more boys will be en­cour­aged to com­plete for­mal sec­ondary and ter­tiary ed­u­ca­tion. Ed­u­ca­tion­al ma­te­r­i­al will be more gen­der-sen­si­tive and gen­der-in­clu­sive, and both men and women will share an equal stake in the de­ci­sion-mak­ing process.

Girls will not be ex­clud­ed from pur­su­ing vo­ca­tion­al ed­u­ca­tion, and both men and women will be privy to the same op­por­tu­ni­ties and at­tain the same re­sults. Boys will not be so­cialised to re­sent and de­mean girls who may sur­pass them aca­d­e­m­i­cal­ly, and women will be able to en­ter the work­place know­ing they are pro­tect­ed from eco­nom­ic and oth­er forms of dis­crim­i­na­tion.

J Ramirez-Whar­wood

Barataria