Jamaica
| Overview of Country Gender Equality Status
|
Normativeand Policy Frameworks
Domestic Violence Act
| Title | Date Operational | Date Amended | Contents | Key Amendments |
| The Domestic Violence Act
| May 6 1996
| 2004
| - Application for Orders - Protection Orders - Occupation Orders - General: interim orders; standard of proof; counselling; appeals; protection of mortgagee; Matrimonial Causes Act | - Remedies to victims of domestic violence, which include some orders - Provides equality in Marriage and Family Law |
| Sexual Offences Act | June 30 2011 |
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| Joint select committee of Parliament appointed to review the act in 2014 and is still hearing and receiving submissions. |
Gender Policy
| In existence (Yes/No) | Title | Date | Notes |
| Yes
| March 2011 | Also: - National Policy Statement on Women (1987) - National Development Plan- Gender Sectoral Plan (2009-2030) |
National Strategic Action Plan on Gender Based Violence
| In existence (Yes/No) | Title | Date | Notes |
| Yes | National Strategic Plan to end Gender Based Violence (Draft) | 2014-2024 | - Completion is at an advanced stage. - The monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework is currently being finalized. - It is expected to be presented to the Cabinet for approval by May/June 2015. |
Regional and International Human Rights Conventions
CEDAW Convention Optional Protocol
| Year Signed/Year Ratified/Ascension (A) | Reporting Status (Publication Date) | Report(s) Due | Concluding Observations | Year Signed/Year Ratified |
| 17 July 1980/ | 6th & 7th Periodic Report - 7 January 2011 | 8th Report - 1 July 2016 | 52nd Session - 6 August 2012 | Not signed |
Convention of Belem do Para
| Year Signed/Year Ratified | Reporting Status |
|
| 14 December 2005/ | Response to Second Multilateral Evaluation Round Questionnaire (2009-2014) |
Universal Periodic Review
| Reporting Status | Date of Consideration | Outcome of Review | Decision of the Outcome |
| 20 August 2010 | Provided on: 4 January 2011 |
Convention on the Rights of the Child
| Year Signed/Year Ratified | Reporting Status (Publication Date) | Report(s) Due | Concluding Observations |
| 26 January 1990/ | 3rd & 4th Reports – | To be determined |
Population/Demography
Population disaggregated by sex andage
| Age Group | Females | Males | Both Sexes | Year/Source | ||
| No | % | No | % | No
| ||
| 0-14 | 320 822 | 49.2 | 331 492 | 50.8 | 652 312 | |
| 15-24 | 261 564 | 49.3 | 268 829 | 50.7 | 530 393 | ” |
| 25-34 | 220 758 | 51.3 | 209 877 | 48.7 | 430 634 | ” |
| 35-44 | 186 422 | 52.6 | 168 248 | 47.4 | 354 671 | ” |
| 45-54 | 155 869 | 50.2 | 154 527 | 49.8 | 310 396 | ” |
| 55-64 | 102 808 | 49.8 | 103 554 | 50.2 | 206 362 | ” |
| 65+ | 124 240 | 53.3 | 108 981 | 46.7 | 233 221 | ” |
| Total | 1 372 484 | 50.5 | 1 345 507 | 49.5 | 2 717 991 | ” |
| Adolescent Fertility Rate (births per 1,000) | 70 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 2012/World Bank |
| Life span
| Years | Years | Years | 2010-2015/UN Data | ||
| 76.0 | 70.9 | -- | ||||
Educationand Training
Student population by sex
| Educational Level | Female | Male | Total | Year | Net enrolment rate (%)[1] | Year | |||
| No | % | No | % | No
| Female | Male | |||
| Primary | 132 054 | 48.3 | 141 177 | 51.7 | 273 231 | 2013 | 83.7 | 86.6 | 2013 |
| Secondary | 115 973 | 50.7 | 112 962 | 49.3 | 228 935 | 2013 | 71.2 | 66.5 | 2013 |
| Tertiary (per 100,00 inhabitants)[2] | 3 619 | -- | 1 697 | -- | 5 316 | 2013 | -- | -- | -- |
Source: UNESCOInstitute for Statistics
Labour
Employment status by sex
| Employment status | Female | Male | Total | Year/Source |
| Employed Labour Force | 644 000 | 486 500 | 1 130 500 | Jan 2014/Statistical Institute of Jamaica |
| Labour Force Participation Rate | 56.0% | 71.8% | 63.0 | 2011/ECLAC |
| Unemployment Rate | 17.4% | 10.1% | 13.4% | Jan 2014/Statistical Institute of Jamaica |
| Part-time employed | N/A | N/A | N/A |
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Employed Population by EconomicSector (January 2014)
| Economic Sector | Female | Male | Total |
| Agriculture, Hunting, Forestry & Fishing | 39 000 | 168 100 | 207 100 |
| Mining & Quarrying | 500 | 6 400 | 6 900 |
| Manufacturing | 23 800 | 47 900 | 71 700 |
| Electricity, Gas & Water Supply | 1 200 | 6 800 | 8 000 |
| Construction | 2 700 | 78 800 | 81 500 |
| Wholesale & Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles & Equipment | 127 000 | 106 200 | 233 200 |
| Transport, Storage & Communication | 13 700 | 58 100 | 71 800 |
| Hotel & Restaurant Services | 49 500 | 31 200 | 80 700 |
| Financial Intermediation | 16 900 | 9 300 | 26 200 |
| Real Estate, Renting & Business Activities | 33 000 | 37 700 | 70 700 |
| Public Administration & Defence; Compulsory Social Security | 30 500 | 26 700 | 57 200 |
| Education | 52 700 | 17 300 | 70 000 |
| Health & Social Work | 24 500 | 8 100 | 32 600 |
| Other Community, Social & Personal Service Activities | 27 700 | 26 500 | 54 200 |
| Private Households with Employed Persons | 43 000 | 12 600 | 55 600 |
| Industry Not Specified (including Extra-territorial Bodies) | 800 | 2 300 | 3 100 |
Source: StatisticalInstitute of Jamaica
Leadershipand Decision-Making
Number and percentage of women and men in leadership positions
| Leadership Positions | Female | Male | Total | Year/Source | ||
| No. | % | No. | % | |||
| Parliament | 8 | 12.7 | 55 | 87.3 | 63 | 2011/IPU |
| Appointed chambers (Senate) | 6 | 28.6 | 15 | 71.4 | 21 | ” |
| Civil Service - Permanent Secretaries | 9 | 56.2 | 7 | 43.8 | 16 | Bureau of Women’s Affairs [3] |
| Civil Service – Heads of Departments/Divisions | 470 | 65.6 | 246 | 34.4 | 716 | ” |
| Chief of Police | -- | -- | √ | -- | -- | |
| Judicial appointments | 22 | 55.0 | 18 | 45.0 | 40 | 2015/Supreme Court |
| Magistrates appointments | 40 | 78.4 | 11 | 21.6 | 51 | 2009/CEDAW Report |
| Local government leaders – Councillors Mayors |
28 3 |
16.7 21.4 |
140 11 |
83.3 78.6 |
168 14 | Bureau of Women’s Affairs[4] |
| Government ministers | 5 | 18.5 | 22 | 81.5 | 27 | |
| Leaders of Parties | 2 | 66.7 | 1 | 33.3 | 3 | Accessed Feb 2015/Caribbean Elections |
| Deputy Heads of Parties |
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| Speaker of the Parliament | -- | -- | √ | -- | -- | 2015/Houses of Parliament |
| Head of Government | √ | -- | -- | -- | -- | 2015/Caribbean Elections |
| Head of State | -- | -- | √ | -- | -- | ” |
Violenceagainst Women
Number and percentage of intimatepartner homicides (2013)
| Homicides
| Female | Male | % of total homicides |
| Intimate partner homicides | 8 | 0 | 0.67 |
Source: ECLAC
Genderand Poverty
Poverty and poverty status ofvulnerable populations by sex/age group (based on country’s poverty index/line)
| Age group | Female | Male | Indigenous | Disabled | Elderly | PLHIV | Year/Source | ||||
| Female | Male | Female | Male | Female | Male | Female | Male | ||||
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| 15-24 |
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| 25-34 |
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| 35-44 |
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| 45-54 |
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| 55-64 |
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| 65+ |
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Key
N/A Notavailable
-- Notapplicable
[1] Net enrolmentrate – the number of children of the official school age enrolled in theeducational level as a percentage of the total children of the official schoolage population.
[2] Formula: 100000 x (Total number of students enrolled in tertiary education in a givenacademic year/country’s population).
[3] Emaildated 10 April 2015
[4] SeeFootnote 3
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