Ahead of Saturday’s observance of International Women’s Day, two female banking executives have sounded an alarm on what they consider to be the precarious state of gender equality.Suzette Armoogam-Shah, Scotiabank Barbados Ltd’s managing director, and Carina Cockburn, country representative for the Inter-American Development Bank, emphasised that despite progress, women’s rights remain vulnerable to reversal, and the burden of unpaid care work continues to hinder women’s full participation in society.The two leaders made the comments as they addressed students at Friday’s I AM A GIRL mentoring session, held in observance of International Women’s Day.Armoogam-Shah emphasised the importance of continued advocacy for women’s rights, particularly in a world where progress can be reversed.“If we are paying attention to what is going on in the global stage with diversity and inclusion, the rights we have as women today we cannot take for granted. It can be lost very easily tomorrow. We have to keep fighting, we have to keep accelerating action so that we protect our rights and keep moving forward,” she said.The Scotiabank boss stressed that given these challenges, young women must continue to embrace opportunities that are presented to them.She noted: “Often the best opportunities come when we decide to take the leap before we feel fully ready, behaving our way into believing. Bet on yourself every day… the space between what you are capable of, and what you actually do is called the courage gap. The only way to close it is to step forward, even as your fear urges you to pull back. Courage precedes confidence.”