Women need to understand and appreciate this country's current economic circumstances and also understand their roles as citizens says Trade Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon.
Speaking at an Association of Female Executives of T&T (AFETT) breakfast meeting, Women and the 2016 Budget, at Jaffa Restaurant, Queen's Park Oval, the minister said GoverWomen need to understand and appreciate this country's current economic circumstances and also understand their roles as citizens says Trade Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon.
Speaking at an Association of Female Executives of T&T (AFETT) breakfast meeting, Women and the 2016 Budget, at Jaffa Restaurant, Queen's Park Oval, the minister said Government could not transform the economy on its own and needed the assistance of the private sector. All groups and associations in society, she said, such as AFETT need to come on board and work together for common causes such as sustainable development, as well as, economic and social growth.
"My focus over the next five years, of course, will be on creating an enabling environment to stimulate business trade and investment in T&T, while also leading efforts aimed particularly at diversifying the economy and developing the non-energy sector of course, alongside the energy sector, which I feel will still have some prominence," she said.
Gopee-Scoon said: "In the 2014 Global Gender Gap Index on the World Economic Forum T&T is ranked 49th out of 142 countries. Sometimes people would say that we are in the top half and that ain't too bad. But there are some startling specifics that you normally must always look at: only 21 per cent of private sector firms have women as top managers; female participation in the labour force is ranked at 87 out of a 142 countries.
"The estimated world income in US dollars is (ranked) 91 out of a 142 countries.
"Somehow, our situation has worsened. In 2008, we were 19 out of about 135. We ranked at 21 in 2010 (and) 2011. Somehow, we have ended up at 49 and that simply is not good enough."nment could not transform the economy on its own and needed the assistance of the private sector. All groups and associations in society, she said, such as AFETT need to come on board and work together for common causes such as sustainable development, as well as, economic and social growth.
"My focus over the next five years, of course, will be on creating an enabling environment to stimulate business trade and investment in T&T, while also leading efforts aimed particularly at diversifying the economy and developing the non-energy sector of course, alongside the energy sector, which I feel will still have some prominence," she said.
Gopee-Scoon said: "In the 2014 Global Gender Gap Index on the World Economic Forum T&T is ranked 49th out of 142 countries. Sometimes people would say that we are in the top half and that ain't too bad. But there are some startling specifics that you normally must always look at: only 21 per cent of private sector firms have women as top managers; female participation in the labour force is ranked at 87 out of a 142 countries.
"The estimated world income in US dollars is (ranked) 91 out of a 142 countries.
"Somehow, our situation has worsened. In 2008, we were 19 out of about 135. We ranked at 21 in 2010 (and) 2011. Somehow, we have ended up at 49 and that simply is not good enough."
