When Jamaica attained Universal Adult Suffrage in 1944 only one woman was elected to the 32 member House of Representatives. There were no women appointed to the Legislative Council or the Executive Council. In 1947, six of the 191 local government counsellors elected were female. Thus, women accounted, at that time, for three percent of the representatives elected at both the central and local levels. In the six decades that have followed, a woman has been elected to the office of Prime Minister and prior to this mayor of the capital city. Despite these developments men continue to dominate the top levels of political leadership in both central and local government. This paper compares the relative progress made towards gender equality at the central and local levels; contrasting the extent to which participation varies in political, governmental and administrative roles.

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