Despite the critical role that women have played in the advancement of their societies, equity with their male counterparts continues to elude them, and the time has come for a paradigm shift, according to Aquinas College student Jade Dodge, who penned these words in an essay to win the Zonta Club of Nassau's United Nations Essay Competition.

"Gender equality should not be seen as optional, but mandatory. Women are powerful agents that directly impact the development of families, communities and countries. Therefore, they should be fully involved in planning and decision-making processes in areas where they can be most effective. When we would have committed ourselves to the accomplishment of this goal, we will eradicate this disease called gender discrimination and begin to achieve parity," Dodge wrote.

Dodge was the recipient of an all-expense paid trip with a school representative to New York in September to attend United Nations (UN) General Assembly, along with the Minister of Foreign Affairs as a part of the official delegation of The Bahamas.

Dodge's essay was written as the country prepares to vote in the June 7 gender equality referendum.

The four constitutional amendment bills were passed in Parliament in March.

Bill number one would enable a child born outside The Bahamas to become a citizen at birth if his or her mother or father is a citizen of The Bahamas by birth.

Bill two would enable a foreign man married to a Bahamian woman to secure the same access to Bahamian citizenship that a foreign woman married to a Bahamian man enjoys.

Bill three would allow an unmarried Bahamian man to pass on his citizenship to his child, subject to legal proof that he is the father.

Bill four would make it unconstitutional to discriminate based on sex

The Zonta Club of Nassau is in its 21st year of bringing awareness to the community, and student population on the need to advance the status of women and end violence against women and girls. The World Economic Forum predicted in 2014 that it would take until 2095 to achieve global gender parity.

In observance of International Women's Day on March 8, a global observance celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women, the Zonta Club of Nassau, hosted its annual essay competition. High school students from throughout the country were invited to submit their essays to the competition, conducted under the 2016 International Women's Day theme "Pledge for Parity".

St. John's College students Alexine Curry and Paige Davis wrote essays that were awarded second and third place prizes respectively.

Janet Johnson, International Cultural Wine and Food Festival (ICWFF) chair was pleased with the success of the competition in bringing awareness to the United Nations 2030 Agenda, goal number five. The ICWFF sponsors the educational trip to the United Nations.

Jade Dodge's 'Pledge for Parity' winning essay
"Because I am a woman, I must make unusual efforts to succeed. If I fail, no one will say, she doesn't have what it takes. They will say, "Women don't have what it takes." (American Congresswoman, Clare Boothe Luce)

This lamentable statement by the former US Congresswoman aptly illustrates the issue of gender discrimination that has plagued humanity for generations. Despite the social, cultural, economic and political strides that women worldwide have made, gender inequality still exists. The situation across the globe today is so dismal that the World Economic Forum in 2015 predicted that it will take until 2133 to achieve global gender parity.

Many conventions and declarations have been adopted to eliminate this practice, but the problem still persists. What women want is more than "lip-service" and "token gestures". They want real concrete actions that will close the gender divide. In this regard, a pledge for parity, that is, a full commitment to gender equality, is needed to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women.

In 1979 the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). The Convention defines discrimination against women as "... any distinction, exclusion or restriction made on the basis of sex which has the effect or purpose of impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment or exercise by women... of human rights and fundamental freedoms..."

Despite this clear definition and the agreement of 189 state parties, gender inequality continues almost unabated in some states. Since 1998, the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) has been dealing with the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan, urging direct promotion and protection of their human rights. (A Global Agenda, 2002-2003 Edition).

In The Bahamas, one of the national newspapers recently brought the headline, "Bahamas has the worst total in region for rapes". The report revealed that there were over 6,000 incidents of gender-based violence in The Bahamas between 2003 and 2013. Across the Caribbean, the report noted, 'there is significant under-reporting' of rape and child sexual abuse, due mainly to the negative attitude toward victims by law enforcement officials. The result of this lack of justice is immeasurable emotional trauma for victims. In my family of four, with three women, I often wonder, will one of us become a victim too?

Further, in its effort toward parity, the United Nations set as its third Millennium Development Goal the promotion of gender equality and empowerment of women. One indicator of this goal is the proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments. Although many countries, including The Bahamas, have made tremendous strides in this regard, there is still much work to be done to fully attain this goal. The Commonwealth Parliamentary Women's Association in its 2014 conference chose the theme, "Women: The Voice, the Vote, the Victory". This was a clarion call for greater participation of women in direct governance of their countries and the need for parity.

Among Commonwealth countries, The Bahamas is one of five states that has not yet granted full equality to women. Just recently, however, the country's legislature took a historic step toward erasing this scourge by passing the Gender Equality Bill. The enactment of the law is eagerly anticipated. For clarity, by this bill, women are not seeking the relegation of men, but instead, the creation of a level playing field in which both genders can work together to build a better society. As Attorney Arinthia Komolafe has asserted, "No society can reach its full potential in an environment that holds one gender inferior to another."

In conclusion, despite the critical role that women have played in the advancement of their societies, equity with their male counterparts continues to elude them. The time has come for a paradigm shift. Gender equality should not be seen as optional, but mandatory. Women are powerful agents that directly impact the development of families, communities and countries. Therefore, they should be fully involved in planning and decision-making processes in areas where they can be most effective. When we would have committed ourselves to the accomplishment of this goal, we will eradicate this disease called gender discrimination and begin to achieve parity.

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