Senate President Alincia Williams-Grant on Wednesday called for greater female participation in politics, saying women remain underrepresented in both houses of Parliament despite gains in the Senate.

Speaking during the ceremonial opening of the Senate following the April 30 general election, Williams-Grant noted that women now hold seven of the 17 seats in the Upper House but said the numbers still fall short.

“But we’re only at 41%. Seven out of 17 — we’re still not there,” she told senators.

The Senate President pointed to even lower representation in the House of Representatives, where only two women currently serve.

“And worse off in the lower house. Only two out of 17. You do the math. So we have a lot of work to do,” Williams-Grant said.

She urged women across political lines to continue pushing for greater representation and participation in national leadership.

“Put on your hat as a nationalist, as a feminist, if you choose to identify with that terminology, as a woman, to say we need to do better in representation in the representation politics that we have in this country,” she said.

Williams-Grant also encouraged female senators to become involved in parliamentary outreach and leadership initiatives aimed at mentoring young women.

“So let’s not rest on our laurels, women of Antigua and Barbuda. We have some work to do,” she added.

The Senate President also congratulated women who contested the general election, describing their decision to seek office as “a tremendous accomplishment in itself.”