Letter of the Day | Rethink feminist rhetoric

THE EDITOR, Madam:

In recent years, the language of feminism has become more visible. It is evident in academic circles, activist spaces, advertisements, boardroom presentations, and branding campaigns. Terms like ‘empowerment’, ‘girl boss’, and ‘breaking glass ceilings’ have become fixtures in corporate vocabulary. Yet, beneath these proclamations lies a troubling dissonance between symbolic gestures and the lived realities of many women.

Jamaica offers a compelling lens into this tension as a country that boasts high female educational attainment and workforce participation yet still reflects deep gender disparities in political representation and economic power. According to the World Economic Forum (2024), women occupy 62 per cent of senior and managerial positions, one of the highest percentages worldwide. Still, they occupy only 28.6 per cent of seats in the House of Representatives (Inter-Parliamentary Union, 2023). A critical question arises: when access is given, does it come with genuine influence?

Not every woman aspires to be in political office or climb up corporate leadership – and that must be respected. The concern lies not in representation, but in the effectiveness of systems that promote inclusivity and enable fair participation across diverse backgrounds.

More disquieting is the swift commodification of feminist language. It becomes a tool for marketing – posting, performing, promoting – while gender-based violence, pay inequity, and limited mobility continue to be significant issues, especially impacting women in rural areas, low-income communities, or with disabilities.

This is the crux: while access has broadened for some, tangible equity remains difficult to measure. A seat at the table means little if the table itself preserves the same hierarchies.

Feminist rhetoric now too often decorates the very institutions it was meant to reform – palatable, profitable, and politically safe. Feminism was never intended solely as aesthetic performance; it has always been and continues to be a demand to dismantle unjust systems and rethink social and political structures.

Policymakers, institutions, and corporate leaders must align their language with demonstrable progress. Audit outcome, not optics. For the women already present, mere presence does not suffice. It is essential to ask who remains excluded in order to address gaps in representation and inclusion. Use your platform not just to participate, but to question, amplify, and, when necessary, to rebuild.

Until power is shared, not just shown, the language of equity will remain just that – a language.

We cannot keep adding more people to the stage if the script was never written with them in mind. Equity demands that we revisit the narrative — so everyone can act with agency, not just stand in the spotlight.

YASHEKA WALTERS-ELLIS