Business and entrepreneurial pursuits have always been viewed as belonging to the exclusive purview of men, while women were relegated to the “domestic track.” Those women who did manage to find jobs and start their own businesses found that the barriers erected to prevent them from succeeding were much higher than that of their male counterparts.
In spite of this, there seems to be a bucking of this trend, both locally and internationally, with more and more women breaking through the glass ceiling and in the process challenging the long held syndrome of “think manager – think male”. Women today, in a sudden swell of unprecedented magnitude, can be seen occupying leadership roles in large and small-scale enterprises and in traditional and non-traditional industries.
The success of women in business can be attributed to women’s desire to be independent, flexible and to make a positive contribution to their country’s economy under their own initiative. Our local business scene is replete with examples of success stories, including: Doreen De Caires, Managing Director of Guyana Publications Inc; Karen Bacchus-Hinds, Founder New Era Enterprise; Sarah Parris, General Manager of Citizens Bank; Doris Lewis, Managing Director of the Gift Centre; Coleen Patterson, Country Manager of Grace Kennedy Remittance Services (Guyana); Renata Chuck-A-Sang, General Manager of Dutch Bottle Caf
