Concern and disappointment over former Tourism and Telecommunications Minister Ren?e Webb?s shock resignation were expressed by women politicians on both sides of the political divide yesterday.

Ms Webb resigned from the Cabinet on Tuesday afternoon ending her Ministerial career which began after the Progressive Labour Party victory in 1998. She will continue to serve as a backbencher for the ruling party at a constituency level.

After her resignation Ms Webb told she did not feel she was treated properly as a woman. In politics, Bermudian women continue to remain outnumbered by their male counterparts. There is only one woman independent in the Senate, businesswoman Carol Anne Bassett.

In total there are 28 men in Parliament and seven women. With Ms Webb?s resignation there are six women Government Ministers out of a population of 29,802 men and 32,257 women in Bermuda according to the 2000 Census.

The women politicians spoke with expressed disappointment at Ms Webb?s departure as a Minister, and while several said they may not have agreed with her political philosophy, losing a woman at the higher levels of Government indicate there is much more progress to be made to bridge the gender gap.

Former Attorney General and Bermuda?s first female lawyer, Dame Lois Browne Evans, would not comment about Ms Webb?s resignation, but pointed out that women in Bermuda are hesitant about participating in public life. Although women have made tremendous strides in the corporate world, she said women continue to remain hesitant about stepping into the political arena.

?I tried my best to bring as many women as I could into politics but too many women would not come in. It?s not that politics is harder for women, its just that they haven?t adapted to the idea that they don?t have to stay at home,? she said.

?Women continue to want to stay in the background, it?s not just in Bermuda, it takes a long time to move forward for any country, particularly Bermuda in the area of politics and civil rights.?

Mrs. Browne Evans, who spent 45 years in politics, said she believed a balance in Government between men and women was important as it indicates equality of the sexes at a legislative level. When asked if she felt fewer women in politics across the board meant legislation could be skewed and the concerns of women and children may go unheard, Mrs. Brown Evans said: ?Women have to get up and do more for themselves, we can?t expect it to be handed down to us.?

Shadow Women?s Affairs Minister Suzann Roberts Holshouser said it took a strong woman to go into politics and it didn?t get any easier for women who choose to go into public life.

?Her perception was that she was discredited as a woman, that is unacceptable and it has to be discussed. People?s perceptions are very often their reality.?

?It?s a hard struggle. As I said in the House on Friday gone society still hasn?t accepted the fact that we need equality. It is difficult to accept. It makes you think if it?s still up there then what are we going to do to improve the lives of women in general? If it exists at the top then how are we going to get out of the viscous cycle??

When asked if fewer women Ministers meant women?s issues may be overlooked, Ms Holshouser said legislation concerning women?s issues would not go un-discussed. ?Freedom of speech won?t be stifled, in my political group we work as equals to get past those challenges and work as a team,? she said. When asked about the relevance of women in politics, Finance Minister Paula Cox, who also works in the corporate world in addition to her role in politics, said she wanted to be known as a good Minister, not as a ?good, black female Minister.?

Ms Cox said she did not think women?s issues should be marginalised as they concern the lives of all people. When asked about her thoughts of Ms Webb?s resignation she said: ?She will be missed in Cabinet. I tried to persuade her that she shouldn?t do it, but she made that decision.?

When asked if she felt legislation affecting women could be overlooked, Ms Cox said the calibre of Ministers was more important than putting political issues on the table and dealing with them rather than gender. However, she pointed out that Ms Webb, known in the community for her intelligence and ambition, would be missed in Cabinet.

?Whenever you lose someone who brings something of value to the table I think you are diminished somewhat.? Like her colleagues, Ms Cox said women should be encouraged to become more involved in politics. ?I think women always play a role in the country. I think when you do that to a certain extent, but the issue with women is that when do they find the time.?

UBP Chairman Gwyneth Rawlins, who became the first woman to chair the Opposition United Bermuda Party last year, said with more than half of the Island?s single parent homes headed by women, choosing to go into politics was not a decision women take lightly.

She said more women in Bermuda must become encouraged to participate in politics.

?I was disappointed when I heard that one woman would be gone, that?s one woman?s voice in the Cabinet that is no longer there on behalf of women,? said Ms Rawlins. ?I hope that she will continue to allow her voice to be heard on a constituency level, it?s very important for men to understand that in politics their value and the importance of women being heard at a political level.?