“West Indian women, BVI women are our worst enemies,” Penn-Lettsome said on the Real Talk show recently.

In explaining her position, the CRC Chair added: “I think that if you’re saying the women have the equality in the home and it’s not transposing to the society, what I find is when women are in power, they don’t pull up young women. They don’t reach down to young women and mentor them.”

Political groups don’t want to see women as party leaders

The discussion at the time surrounded the reason why women were not contesting elected office in greater numbers and host Karia Christopher suggested that women were not being encouraged enough to do so. 

“I don’t think that women are encouraged enough. I think that the heads of the parties — I say it, I don’t care if it’s something that’s on a headline — don’t want to see a woman as a president of a particular of any party. So that if they’re the president, more than likely they’ll be the Premier or whatever,” Christopher said.

But Penn-Lettsome suggested that women generally tend to be unsupportive when faced with female counterparts who are poised for success.

“Instead of women inspiring a successful colleague who’s also female, they sort of relish in your downfall or your disappointments,” she argued. “It would help if we ourselves would push our sisters, and I don’t feel that we do that.”

In the meantime, former legislator Ronnie Skelton said he felt women tend to get things accomplished faster than men do. “In my experience, if I want something done, I will look for a female to do it for me. I get it done faster,” Skelton said.

Skelton further pointed out that there is a Commonwealth Parliamentary Association as well as a number of lectures and seminars dedicated to encouraging women’s involvement in politics.