The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

AT every turn in Bahamian society, men are being sidelined. Recently, the Bahamas Development Bank announced a concessional loan scheme for “businesses that are owned or led by, or that benefit women”. This programme was, apparently, funded by the United Nations. How can the United Nations endorse and fund a programme that actively discriminates against a sector of the Bahamian society? This is, no doubt, being done under the guise of ESG initiatives, which would propose that we need more women owned and led businesses, but no one has provided quantitative evidence to support these discriminatory claims and practices. If you look at the number of law firms, dental offices, doctors offices, retail stores, and restaurants - just to name a few - it seems that these are already majority owned or operated by women. Was there an equivalent Bahamas Development Bank programme targeted towards men?

Just weeks before the Bahamas Development Bank announcement, the Small Business Development Corporation announced that it had “handed out $604K in grants”, not loans, to businesses owned by women. Were there grants previously targeted at businesses owned by men? Celebrity Cruise Lines released a statement that they’re here to stay. In the story carried by Eyewitness News, the celebratory photograph featured eight women and one man. Again, recently, the United States Embassy hosted Women’s Equality Day” in The Bahamas, a nation where women are certainly not unequal to men in terms of societal outcomes. Yes, some people purport that women earn less money than men as an example of one inequality, but, again, where is the quantitative evidence to support this claim? There seem to be more female executives at banks, insurance companies, and in the government than there are men.

As we continue to celebrate and uplift women, men are being marginalised. To whom do we expect young boys to turn if society continues to marginalise men? I am convinced - albeit anecdotally - that many of the social ills we experience in this country are directly related to the lack of opportunities for men and boys. Let’s stop this nonsense. We must stop glorifying women at the expense of men and turn our attention to uplifting everyone.

CARLOS KNOWLES

Nassau,

August 31, 2024.