Jamaica

House of Representatives

Political system
Parliamentary system
Structure of parliament
Bicameral
IPU membership
Yes

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

Current number of members
62
Women
17
Percentage of women
27.4%

Speaker

Speaker
Juliet Holness (Female)
Date of birth: 16 Jul 1971
Additional information

Elected on 26 Sep. 2023.

Secretary general

Secretary General
Colleen Lowe (Female)

Data on age at the start of the legislature

Number of members, by age (2020-09)
Breakdown of members by age and gender
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
Percentage of members, by age
Age at the last election or renewal Overall Male Female
Percentage of MPs 30 years of age or younger
0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Percentage of MPs 40 years of age or younger
9.5% 5% 4.8%
Percentage of MPs 45 years of age or younger
20.6% 11% 9.5%

Reserved seats and quotas

There are reserved seats in parliament for certain groups
No
Electoral quota for women
No

First woman in parliament

Year of first woman in parliament
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

Year of first woman speaker
1984

Women’s suffrage

Date of independence
1962
Women’s right to vote
1962
Restricted or universal suffrage
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.

Women's right to stand for election
1962
Restricted or universal
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.

Historical data for IPU membership

Historical data for IPU membership
Year IPU membership
2020-09
List of values for 2020-09
No
2019-04
List of values for 2019-04
No
2018-06
List of values for 2018-06
No