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Santo Domingo.- The Vice President of the Dominican Republic, Raquel Peña, highlighted the participation, influence and importance of hundreds of thousands dominican women for the development and growth of the national economy, in her presentation: "Sustainable growth of the Dominican Republic: contributions and leadership of the woman", in the commemoration of International Women's Day, this March 8.
By participating as a guest speaker at AMCHAMDR's monthly lunch-conference, Peña spoke about the transformation and development process that the country has exhibited in recent years, with the special support of women in all aspects of the economy and the interest of the government in increasing the growth opportunities of the dominican women.
“Today I reiterate our very firm conviction that working to achieve a society where equity prevails and where well-being is for all is how we contribute to a better country and, above all, it is how we build faith in the system: working to deliver to our people positive and evident results, with neatness, honesty and transparency”, said Peña.
Peña assured that companies led by women in the country represent an important participation and competitiveness in all sectors that influence the national economy. She also explained how through different studies the capacity of women in managerial positions is evidenced; leading and revolutionizing different industries in the Dominican Republic.
The vice president also said that in the little more than 30 months of president Luis Abinader's administration, the economy has achieved a surprising recovery, despite the fact that great historical challenges and inequality that the Government seeks to eliminate still persist.
“The female employment rate stood at 47% in 2022, close to its pre-pandemic level. This reflects the reintegration of women into the labor market, after they were among the groups most affected by the health crisis, mainly due to their fundamental role in caring for the home”, said Peña.
During the meeting, the vice president gave a historical recount, referring to the progress that the country has shown in terms of Aduanas, tourism, Gross Domestic Product, banks, increase in the road network, increase in vehicle fleet, investment in education and agriculture; sectors where women have played a fundamental role, especially in free zones and exports.
“In our free zones, which constitute one of the productive activities with the greatest contribution to direct employment in the country, we reached more than 192,000 direct jobs by the end of 2022, the highest level recorded in the last 20 years. Of these, 50% correspond to positions held by women”, she highlighted.
Roberto Herrera, president of AMCHAMDR, highlighted the great steps that the Dominican Republic has taken to achieve gender parity, however, he stressed the need to further close the gaps between women and men, facilitating access to better opportunities. labor, with higher remuneration and business leadership positions for Dominican women, thus contributing to the development of a better society.
“If we want to guarantee the existence of peaceful, inclusive, democratic and progressing societies, we must defend women's rights in all contexts,” Herrera said.
Herrera also assured that it is important to promote women as engines of inclusive growth in our country, and that to achieve this "a structural change is required that reduces inequalities and promotes gender parity."
By ensuring that by promoting gender equality within the business community and in society, innovation, competitiveness and opportunities for development and social justice can be generated, the member of the Board of Directors of the Chamber, Lucille Houellemont, framed the projects adopted to achieve equality between women and men in the country from AMCHAMDR, which in December 2022 joined the Gender Parity initiative in the Dominican Republic, which seeks to align public and private efforts, in the creation of an inclusive culture.
“Since its launch, more than 100 companies, many of these Amcham members, have joined the Gender Parity initiative and are actively working to increase the participation of women in the workforce, increase the number of women in management positions, leadership and reduce the gender pay gap,” Houellemont said.
This Business Meeting is possible thanks to the support of the member companies of the AMCHAMDR Elite Circle: AES Dominicana, Barrick Pueblo Viejo, Cervecería Nacional Dominicana, Citi, HIT Puerto Río Haina, Grupo Humano, Inicia, Grupo Martí, Altice Dominicana, Grupo Rica, Grupo SID, Grupo Punta Cana, Grupo Estrella and Squire Patton Boggs.Sobre la Cámara Americana de Comercio de la República Dominicana (AMCHAMDR)
About the American Chamber of Commerce of the Dominican Republic (AMCHAMDR)
The American Chamber of Commerce of the Dominican Republic (AMCHAMDR for its acronym in English) is a non-profit association, legally incorporated on November 8, 1923, which promotes a healthy investment climate based on access to knowledge, opportunities and a culture of best practices for the socioeconomic and professional development of its members. AMCHAMDR is affiliated with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and is a founding member of the Association of American Chambers of Commerce in Latin America (AACCLA).