Barbados

Overview of Country Gender Equality Status

 

 

Normative and Policy Frameworks

Domestic Violence Act

Title

Date Passed

Date Amended

Contents

Key Amendments

Domestic Violence (Protection Orders) Act

Domestic Violence (Protection Orders) Amendment Act 2016

1992

February 2016

- Protection order
- Breach of protection order
- Power of arrest/ to enter domestic premises
- Criminal proceedings

These amendments make the Protection Order one of the strongest in the region, giving powers of emergency protection orders to police, and drawing heavily on best practices in the Commonwealth in the scope and definition of gender-based violence.

 

Gender Policy

In existence (Yes/No)

Title

Date

Notes

No

 

 

 

A gender policy is in the process of being developed.

 

 

National Strategic Action Plan on Gender Based Violence

In existence (Yes/No)

Title

Date

Notes

No

 

 

 

 

Regional and International Human Rights Conventions

CEDAW Convention                                                                                                                                                                                                       Optional Protocol

Year Signed/Year Ratified/Ascension (A)

Reporting Status

(Publication Date)

Concluding Observations

Report(s) Due

Year Signed/Year Ratified

24 July 1980/

16 November 1980

4th Report – 24 November 2000

1 January 2002

3 September 1999

Not signed

 

Convention of Belem do Para

Year Signed/Year Ratified

Reporting Status

16 February 1995/

16 May 1995

Response to Second Multilateral Evaluation Round Questionnaire (2009-2014)

 

 

 

Universal Periodic Review

Reporting Status

Date of Consideration

Outcome of Review

Decision of the Outcome

5 December 2012

25 January 2013

Provided on 11 December 2013

Not recorded

 

Convention on the Rights of the Child

Year Signed/Year Ratified

Reporting Status (Publication Date)

Report(s) Due

Concluding Observations

19 April 1990/

19 November 1990

2nd-4th Report – submitted

25 February 2014

To be determined

To be reviewed 72nd Session, 2016

                                                                                                                                                                                      

 

Population/Demography

Population disaggregated by sex and age

Age Group

Females

Males

Both Sexes

 

Year/Source

No

%

No

%

No

 

0-14

26 756

48.9

28 001

51.1

54 757

2010/Census

15-24

18 526

50.0

18 513

50.0

37 039

25-34

19 410

51.3

18 463

48.7

37 873

35-44

21 082

51.9

19 547

48.1

40 629

45-54

21 942

53.0

19 473

47.0

41 415

55-64

15 942

52.9

14 197

47.1

30 139

65+

21 145

58.8

14 824

41.2

35 969

Total

144 803

52.1

133 018

47.9

277 821

Adolescent Fertility Rate

(births per 1,000)

48

--

--

--

--

2012/World Bank

Life span

 

Years

Years

Years

2012/Barbados Economic & Social Report

77.1

--

72.5

--

74.8

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Education and Training

Student population by sex

Educational Level

Female

Male

Total

Year

Net enrolment

 rate (%)[i]

Year

No

%

No

%

No

 

Female

Male

Primary

10 950

48.6

11 559

51.4

22 509

2011

96.8

97.3 (est.)

2011

Secondary

9 887

50.2

9 809

49.8

19 696

2011

96.3

83.8

2011

Tertiary (per 100 000

Inhabitants)[ii]

6 080

--

2 727

--

8 807

2011

--

--

--

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics

 

Labour

Employment status and occupational status by sex and age group

Employment status

Female

Male

Total

Source

Employed

61 400

64 000

125 400

2nd Quarter 2014/Statistical Services Labour Force Survey

Labour Force Participation Rate

61.1%

69.0%

64.9%

Employment Rate

86.4%

87.2%

86.8%

Unemployment Rate

13.6%

12.8%

13.2%

Youth unemployment

32.6%

27.9%

30.0%

2013/Ministry of Labour

Part-time Employed

N/A

N/A

N/A

 

 

Employed Population by Economic Sector (2010)

Economic Sector

Female

Male

Total

Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing

545

1 075

1 620

Mining & Quarrying

54

176

230

Manufacturing

2 688

3 365

6 053

Electricity, Water, Gas, Steam & Air conditioning Supply

463

1 286

1 749

Construction

721

7 130

7 851

Wholesale & Retail Trade

7 263

6 165

13 428

Transport & Storage

1 429

3 237

4 666

Accommodation & Food Services

6 439

3 664

10 103

Information & Communications

850

902

1 752

Financial & Insurance Activities

3 033

1 449

4 482

Real Estate Activities

844

458

1 302

Professional, Scientific & Technical Activities

1 723

1 342

3 065

Administrative & Support & Service Technical Activities

7 446

7 404

14 850

Public Administration & Defence

4 626

5 024

9 650

Education

3 704

1 693

5 397

Human Health & Social Work Activities

3 993

1 092

5 085

Arts, Entertainment & Recreation

612

750

1 362

Other Service Activities

1 499

928

2 427

Activities of Household as Employers

2 257

488

2 745

Activities of Extra-territorial Organisation & Bodies

456

223

679

Not stated

6 559

10 836

17 395

 

Source:  2010 Population and Housing Census

 

Leadership and Decision-Making

Number and percentage of women and men in leadership positions

Leadership Positions

Female

Male

Total

Year/Source

No.

%

No.

%

Parliament

5

16.7

25

83.3

30

2013/IPU

Appointed chambers (Senate)

5

23.8

16

76.2

21

2015/Parliament of Barbados

Civil Service -

Permanent Secretaries

14

50

14

50

28

2014/Country Gender Assessment, Barbados

Civil Service – Heads of Departments

51

45.1

62

54.9

114

 

Chief of Police

--

--

--

--

 

Judicial appointments

7

 

53.8

6

 

46.2

13

 

Accessed in 2015/Barbados Supreme Court

Magistrates appointments

3

33.3

6

66.7

9

Local government leaders

--

--

--

--

--

 

Government ministers

2

11.8

15

88.2

17

Accessed in 2015/Government of Barbados

Leaders of Parties

1

50.0

1

50.0

2

2015/Caribbean Elections

Deputy Heads of Parties

 

 

 

 

 

 

Speaker of the Parliament

--

--

--

--

2015/Caribbean Elections

Head of Government

--

--

--

--

Head of State

--

--

--

--

 

 

Violence against Women

Number and percentage of intimate partner homicides (2013)

Homicides

 

Female

Male

% of total homicides

Intimate partner homicides

6

0

24%

 

Source: rel="noopener noreferrer"  ECLAC

 

 

Gender and Poverty

Poverty and poverty status of vulnerable populations by sex/age group (based on country’s poverty index/line)

Age group

Female

Male

Indigenous

Disabled

Elderly

PLHIV

Female

Male

Female

Male

Female

Male

Female

Male

 0-14

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

15-24

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

25-34

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

35-44

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

45-54

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

55-64

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

65+

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total

N/A

N/A

--

--

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

 

               

NOTES:

 

[i] Net enrolment rate – the number of children of the official school age enrolled in the educational level as a percentage of the total children of the official school age population.

[ii] Formula: 100 000 x (Total number of students enrolled in tertiary education in a given academic year/country’s population).

 

KEY

N/A        Not available

--           Not applicable