For the first time in Trinidad and Tobago’s history, three women concurrently hold the offices of President, Prime Minister, and Leader of the Opposition—marking a historic moment that signals a broader shift in the country’s leadership landscape.
Kristy.ramnarine@cnc3.co.tt
In a groundbreaking political moment for Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, SC, has made history once again. On May 1, she became the first female Prime Minister in the country to be sworn into office twice—marking a powerful step forward in the global landscape of women in political leadership.
Holding a copy of the country’s Constitution, the UNC Political Leader took her solemn oath under the watchful eye of the country’s second woman President, Christine Kangaloo. The appointment of Arima MP Pennelope Beckles as Opposition Leader two days earlier completed what has become a historic feat for women in politics.
According to UN Women, there are currently 25 countries where 28 women serve in top executive government positions. The UN Women calculation is based on information provided by permanent missions to the United Nations. Countries with monarchy-based systems are excluded from the count of Heads of State. The information was last updated in March.
Data compiled by UN Women show that women represent 22.9 per cent of cabinet members heading ministries, leading a policy area as of January 1, 2025. There are only nine countries in which women hold 50 per cent or more of the positions of cabinet ministers leading policy areas.
The five most commonly held portfolios by women Cabinet ministers are Women and Gender Equality, followed by Family and Children Affairs, Social Inclusion and Development, Social Protection and Social Security, and Culture.
Locally, the Institute of Gender and Development Studies (IGDS) said political and state leadership remains overwhelmingly male-dominated in the Caribbean and the world today.
“In Trinidad and Tobago’s political history, having three different kinds of women leaders right now is unprecedented and historic,” said Dr Gabriel Hosein, senior lecturer at IGDS.
“A woman Speaker of the House would add to the current moment. The Patriotic Front’s slate of primarily women candidates (20 of 37), under a woman political leader, was also completely unprecedented and should be recognised at this time, even if the election is over.”
The Patriotic Front is led by Mickela Panday. Hosein said these are all different kinds of cracks at the glass ceiling, which describes how women can see power but are kept below it.
“These are all ‘symbolic’ wins for women and gender equality in the country, which should be celebrated,” she added.
“We have to see if they lead to ‘substantive’ wins, meaning approaches to governance that are less domineering and antagonistic and more inclusive and transformative, and create greater social, economic and gender justice.
“I thought Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s speech at the swearing-in ceremony was excellent, as was Opposition Leader Penelope Beckles’ first statement after being elected. Both emphasised listening and service. Persad-Bissessar in particular acknowledging rural Trinidad.”
While women are expected to be more gender-sensitive and to bring a more caring form of leadership, that is not always the case, according to Hosein.
“Indeed, as they are held to higher standards of moral responsibility for the nation, women may be more conservative because there is so much backlash to women’s and girls’ rights and right-wing attacks against LGBTQ citizens, and this can be considered politically costly,” she explained.
“I would like to see women leaders, and the men under them, stand on the right side of history. I support the wish list published by CAFRA TT, which spoke to issues of peacebuilding, the Health and Family Life curricula, quality and affordable child daycare facilities, and environmental protection, but at this point, I’m less concerned about individual legislation or policy and more about both leaders in the House setting a different way of relating to each other and the country, without insult, without hiding information, and without abuse of power.”
British Chevening scholar Teocah Dove, who holds an MSc in Gender and International Relations and is an interdisciplinary development strategist, noted that we have had groundbreaking firsts before: with President Paula-Mae Weekes and Speaker of the House Occah Seapaul, who was followed in the post of Speaker by Bridgid Annisette-George.
“But to now witness the simultaneous leadership of a woman President, Prime Minister, and Opposition Leader, especially given the deeply complex and determined political journeys of the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader, is profoundly moving. There is power not just in the positions they occupy but also in the stories of perseverance, tenacity, and resilience that brought them to this moment.
“It is those stories that offer hope: to young girls looking on, to professional women navigating patriarchal systems, and to an entire nation learning that leadership wears many faces.” This resonates deeply. Dove said it was so because it speaks to more than just women breaking barriers—it speaks to the power of human determination and the reminder that we can all rise, no matter the odds.
The story is not just about gender; it’s about the stories that these women carry. As Dove reflects, “Because they defied expectations and rose, we are reminded that our own rise is not only possible; it is inevitable.”
She believes that’s the kind of leadership we need: not only positions of power but also the stories of resilience and tenacity that lead to transformation.
“Yes! But only if we move beyond symbolism and truly reimagine leadership through a lens of equity, care, and accountability,” Dove continues.
“The benefit lies not merely in their gender but in their ability to shift paradigms, prioritise inclusive governance, disrupt the system, and lead with courage and compassion.”
She challenges us not to stop at surface-level representation but to push for true change that benefits everyone—regardless of gender, background, or social standing. Asked about her thoughts on dealing with women’s issues, Dove dives deeper. “Firstly, I would like them to serve an equitable agenda for all, not just women and girls. But moreover, I want us to move from ‘issues’ to rights. From piecemeal interventions to systemic change.”
She envisions a future where the actions we take are not about ticking boxes but about dismantling “the scaffolding of violence, economic exclusion, and invisibility” that many women, especially those in the most marginalised communities, face every day. Continues on page 29
To Dove, this isn’t about pushing a singular “women’s agenda”—it’s about shaping the world to work for everyone, equitably.
She believes leadership must be holistic.
Kangaloo, Persad-Bisessar, and Beckles-Robinson have shown us that the rise of leadership, built on resilience and vision, is not just possible; it is inevitable.
And so, as we witness this unprecedented moment in our political history, let’s remember that the real power lies not in the titles they hold but in the stories they live, the lives they touch, and the futures they build.
PRESIDENT CHRISTINE KANGALOO
Christine Kangaloo is the first woman who served as Vice President of the Senate to become the President of the Senate. Similarly, she is also the first woman who served as President of the Senate to become the President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
Her political career began in 2001 when she was appointed as Opposition Senator.
She was appointed Vice President of the Senate between January and August 2002; a Government Senator and Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister between 2002 and 2005; Minister of Legal Affairs between 2005 and 2007; and Minister of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education between 2007 and 2010.
Kangaloo also served as a Member of Parliament for the Constituency of Pointe-a-Pierre between 2007 and 2010.
In 2015, Kangaloo was elected to the position of President of the Senate of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago – a position in which she served continuously until January of 2023. As President of the Senate, Kangaloo acted as President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago on thirty-three (33) occasions. (From the Office of the President)
Kamla Persad-Bissessar entered politics in 1987. From that year until 1991, she served as an alderman for St. Patrick County Council.
Representing the United National Congress (UNC) in Opposition, she took the Oath of Allegiance at a sitting of the Senate on November 1, 1994. Since 1995 she has been the Member of Parliament for Siparia, serving as Attorney General, Minister of Legal Affairs and Minister of Education between 1995 and 2001.
The UNC returned to the Opposition benches in 2002, and on April 26, 2006, Persad-Bissessar was appointed Leader of the Opposition–the first woman to ever hold that position in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
She was appointed Leader of the Opposition a second time on February 25, 2010, almost one month after she was elected political leader of the UNC.
On Tuesday, May 26, 2010, two days after victory at the polls, Persad-Bissessar created history yet again by becoming the first woman to hold the office of Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
She would again win the Siparia seat at the 2015 and 2020 general elections, both times serving as opposition leader.
On May 1, 2025, three days after her party’s victory at the polls, Persad-Bissessar would again take the oath of office as Prime Minister.
Pennelope Beckles-Robinson is the first woman to lead the People’s National Movement (PNM) in the Opposition. An attorney-at-law by profession, she is also the first woman to have ever been elected Deputy Speaker in the history of the Parliament of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
Beckles-Robinson first entered Parliament in 1995 as an Opposition Senator.
She then served as the representative for the constituency of Arima between 2000 and 2010. Ms Beckles-Robinson held various portfolios, having been Minister of Social Development, Minister of Culture and Tourism, and Minister of Public Utilities and the Environment.
She was elected Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives on December 17, 2007, at the Ceremonial Opening of the 1st Session of the 9th Parliament of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
The Arima MP was elected to the House of Representatives as a Member of the 12th Republican Parliament in August 2020 and in the 13th Republican Parliament on August 28, 2025.
Before this, she most recently served as the Leader of Opposition Business in the Senate in the 10th Parliament between June 2010 and December 2013.
Beckles-Robinson would be appointed Leader of the Opposition in the 13th Republican Parliament.