SIXTY-ONE women, including two from the Observer, were yesterday awarded for their outstanding contribution to various sectors of the society as part of celebrations to mark International Women's Day and the launch of the Inter-American Year of Women.

The women were acknowledged for their role in community development, governance, entrepreneurship, health, education, agriculture, sports as well as media, at a ceremony hosted by the Bureau of Women's Affairs (BWA) at the Jamaica Conference Centre in Kingston.

Observer staff reporter Nadine Wilson and All Woman Editor Petulia Clarke were the only media awardees.

Head of the BWA, Faith Webster, said the day presented an opportunity to applaud the role of women in the society, some of whom have not been recognised for the work they have been doing.

"The bureau has sought to highlight and affirm women who have been silently working, breaking barriers and have acceded to positions of power and decision making," she said, while adding that some of them represented a first in their field.

But despite the ground-breaking achievements of women in the society over the past few years, Lady Allen, wife of the governor-general, asserted that there was still much more to be done to ensure gender equality.

"Our efforts to attain the elusive goal of completely shattering the glass ceiling must continue. We must continue our vigilance in ensuring that women are paid equal wages for equal or comparative work, provide adequate promotion and training opportunities [and] provide access to high paying jobs and other opportunities for professional advancement," she said.

She lamented the fact that Jamaica was ranked 81 out of 181 countries in the 2009 Human Development Report on gender empowerment measures.

Director of the UNFPA sub regional office of the Caribbean Dr Hernando Agudelo pointed out that gender equality remains one of the greatest challenges, despite the fact that, "In every part of the world women are the weavers of the fabric of the society".

"We stand a better chance of solving the world's problems if men and women join together as equal partners in finding innovative solutions," he said.

For her part, Minister with responsibility for Women's Affairs and Gender Issues Olivia 'Babsy' Grange commended the work the BWA and other non-governmental organisations have done in putting the issues affecting women to the forefront.

Meanwhile, historian and education specialist at the United States Embassy in Kingston, Lea Flowers Baker, sought to remind the women of where they are coming from and highlighted the hardships women have faced, and are still facing in various countries around the world.

"It is not to say that there is nothing else in the present that we have to do, but we do have to understand where women have come from for us to understand the work that we continue to do today," she said.