Jamaica
House of Representatives
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Political system
Political systems: Presidential, Parliamentary, Presidential-Parliamentary, Monarchy, Communist, Transitional.
View field in the data dictionary -
Parliamentary system
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Structure of parliament
Structure of parliament: Unicameral, bicameral
View field in the data dictionary -
Bicameral
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IPU membership
Current membership status
View field in the data dictionary -
No
Data on women
Information on the current and historical representation of women in the parliament. Consult the 'Elections' tab to see how women have fared in elections or renewals.
Current representation
Women's representation in the current parliament or chamber
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Current number of members
Number of members who currently hold seats in parliament. May be lower or higher than the statutory number of members.
View field in the data dictionary -
62
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Women
The number of female parliamentarians who currently hold seats in parliament.
View field in the data dictionary -
17
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Percentage of women
Calculated by dividing the current number of women by the current number of members.
View field in the data dictionary -
27.4%
Speaker
- Speaker
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Juliet Holness (Female)
Date of birth: 16 Jul 1971 - Additional information
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Elected on 26 Sep. 2023.
Secretary general
- Secretary General
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Valrie Curtis (Female)
Data on age at the start of the legislature
Number of members, by age (2020-09)
| 18 - 20 | 21 - 30 | 31 - 40 | 41 - 45 | 46 - 50 | 51 - 60 | 61 - 70 | 71 - 80 | 81 - 90 | 91 and over | Totals per gender | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 15 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 45 |
| Female | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| Totals per age interval | 0 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 63 |
| Total <= 45: 13 | Total >= 46: 50 | ||||||||||
| Age at the last election or renewal | Overall | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | |
| 9.5% | 5% | 4.8% | |
| 20.6% | 11% | 9.5% |
Reserved seats and quotas
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There are reserved seats in parliament for certain groups
Reserved seats are a means to ensure the parliamentary representation of certain groups in society.
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No
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Electoral quota for women
Quotas to promote gender-balanced representation in parliament
View field in the data dictionary -
No
First woman in parliament
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Year of first woman in parliament
Year in which the first woman entered parliament
View field in the data dictionary -
1967
Notes: 1967: First legislature of Jamaica after the country became independent on 6 August 1962. Prior to independence the first woman to be elected to Parliament was in 1944.
First woman speaker
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Year of first woman speaker
Date at which, for the first time in the country's parliamentary history, a woman became Presiding Officer of Parliament or of one of its Houses.
View field in the data dictionary -
1984
Women’s suffrage
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Date of independence
For countries that become independent after 1940.
View field in the data dictionary -
1962
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Women’s right to vote
Year in which women obtained the right to vote. More than one year may be displayed depending on the status of the right: restricted or universal and changes in status.
View field in the data dictionary -
1962
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Restricted or universal suffrage
Suffrage: Restricted or Universal
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Universal
Notes: Prior to independence after a long period of direct British colonial rule, Jamaica gained a degree of local political control in the late 1930s, and held its first election under full universal adult suffrage on 20 November 1944. This right was confirmed at independence.
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Women's right to stand for election
Year in which women obtained the right to stand for election. More than one year may be displayed based on the status of the right: restricted or universal and shifts to the status.
View field in the data dictionary -
1962
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Restricted or universal
Stand for Election : Restricted or Universal
View field in the data dictionary -
No information available
Notes: Prior to independence after a long period of direct British colonial rule, Jamaica gained a degree of local political control in the late 1930s, and held its first election under full universal adult suffrage on 20 November 1944. This right was confirmed at independence.
Women's caucus
Women's caucuses or parliamentary groups that bring together women parliamentarians to strengthen cooperation and amplify their voices. For other parliamentary bodies or committees that have a specific mandate to address gender equality matters, see the ‘Specialized body – Gender equality’ tab.
There is currently no women's caucus in this chamber.