Director's Wave | Volume 6 Edition 22

Vol 6 Ed 22 2025-2026 SY 13 March 2026 JU

13 March 2026

Dear CIS Community,

Something to Ponder

“There are two kinds of people, those who do the work and those who take the credit. Try to be in the first group; there is less competition there.” - Indira Gandhi

Sunday 8 March was International Women’s Day and the month of March is designated as Women’s History Month. The US News reports that the ten best countries to live in if you are a woman are: 10) Germany, 9) Australia, 8) New Zealand, 7) Switzerland, 6) Canada, 5) Netherlands, 4) Finland, 3) Norway, 2) Denmark, 1) Sweden. Before the above countries feel proud and start patting each other on the back it is important to point out that even the above countries do not have unblemished records regarding human rights, income equality, progress and safety for women - some of which you are likely very familiar with and unfortunately have experienced. Imagine the challenges women face in countries and/or locations with limited resources, diminished opportunities for education, poor availability of health care, and written and/or understood policies of discrimination in public and private sectors.

The Cayman Islands has been on a trajectory of improvement regarding equality, though notable gaps continue to persist regarding income, professional standing, professional growth, rates of workplace discrimination and favourable workplace arrangements. The Cayman Islands Executive Summary of the Cayman Islands Gender Equity Survey highlights differences, similarities and recent trends in the Cayman Islands. Beyond the Cayman Islands, the map below provides additional information with respect to the world.

Gender Inequality Index

The gender inequality index looks at the three - economic status, reproductive health, and empowerment. The index is between 0 and 1. In these indices, a number closer to zero indicates lower levels of inequality and a number closer to one indicates higher levels of inequality.

Education plays an important role in understanding and ultimately addressing human rights, issues, discrimination and unfairness. Reading, research and representation and just three critical aspects when considering equality. At CIS, some quick current statistics include;  3 of our 4 principals are women, 3 of our 4 operations directors are women, our High School Student Council President is female, as is our National Honour Society President, and we have the same number of school sports teams for boys and girls.

Considering the above statistics at CIS and the fact that I am writing this item for the Director’s Wave, Margaret Thatcher’s pithy quotation of "If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman," appears to remain true.

Sincerely,

Jim

Jim Urquhart
Director - Cayman International School