Only 12.5% of Belize’s Lawmakers Are Women

Young Belizean women stepped into the seats of their country’s lawmakers on Friday, debating real policy in a special sitting of the National Assembly dedicated to getting more women into leadership.

The Young Women in Leadership (YWIL) session, held at the National Assembly Chamber on Independence Hill in Belmopan, gave young women the chance to occupy the roles of prime minister, ministers, and members of the House and Senate for the day.

The debate centred on a motion calling for temporary special measures to increase the number of women in government, and the young women did not hold back.

The participant filling the prime minister’s seat argued that the country cannot afford to keep leaving women on the sidelines. “Recognition alone is not enough,” she said. “Opportunity is what transforms potential into progress.”

She pointed to women already leading in farming, tourism, and small business across the country, from Orange Walk to Toledo, and argued that their work deserves a real seat at the table. “There was once a time when it was said that Belizeans had no talent, but every single day across this country, our people prove otherwise,” she said, adding that talent without opportunity is where the real problem lies.

She put forward ideas, including a fund to support young women in business and a programme to bring women into aviation and other growing industries.

The participant representing Belize Rural Central noted that as of early 2026, women hold only 12.5% of seats in the National Assembly.

“We cannot ignore the social and cultural norms, those lingering patriarchal norms that claim leadership is a man’s work,” she said, while calling for training programmes and financial support to be taken directly into rural communities.

The participant representing Caribbean Shores put it plainly. “A policy that does not reach the woman it is intended to serve is not progress,” she said. “It is paperwork.”