Minister of Youth, Social Development and Seniors, Member of Parliament for St George’s South, occupational therapist, author, wife and mother: Tinée Furbert is an influential woman.
Yet there is still more she wants to achieve, in particular encouraging more women to enter politics.
“One of the goals I’m planning on implementing is a programme to allow women to learn more about what it takes to be a politician,” she said.
“It’s going to be bipartisan. I want women to feel secure in their ability to come forward as global candidates because we know, across both parties, that women do not put their name forward as much as men do.”
POLITICAL TAKE-OFF!
What drove this woman, who already had a successful career and young family, to enter the political fray?
“It was moreso for community involvement,” she answered.
Ms Furbert started attending local Progressive Labour Party meetings, liked what they were doing to help their constituents and the wider community, and got involved. Her political career quickly took off.
She became chairperson for a number of boards and committees including the Council for Allied Health Professions and the Disability Advisory Council. She also cofounded Bermuda’s Working Women Institute. In 2016 she was appointed to the Senate and in 2017 she became an MP, successfully defending her seat in the 2020 and 2025 elections.
Ms Furbert was one of eight women to win a seat at the General Election this February, compared with a total of 28 men.
While Ms Furbert enjoys her job, she admitted that politics can be challenging for women, especially if they have children.
“I know that’s why not many women get involved in politics, because unless you have a support structure who can assist you, then it can be very challenging to manage it all,” she said.
FAMILY SUPPORT
Ms Furbert’s two children are aged 19 and 16 and she is grateful for her own support structure who helped when they were younger.
“It was my parents and my husband’s parents. And then I also have two amazing sisters,” she said.
Despite the challenges, she believes women are natural leaders.
“Overall, Bermuda is led widely by women. Women are always the pushers behind the scenes and we do the work anyway. The men get the face.
“It’s important for any government to have representation of women. Women are part of the majority of voters, and then there are different policies and legislation that we have to consider to make it flexible for women, or anyone who has multiple responsibilities, and you need to have an eye and an ear for that.
“I’m not saying men don’t. I’m just saying when you’re in it. When you’ve lived it, when you’re surrounded by other women who are doing it, then it is a difference.”
LEADERSHIP STARTED YOUNG
Growing up, Ms Furbert had to take on a leadership role within her own family from a young age. The eldest of three girls, her mother, who has sadly passed, was a single parent working long hours as a waitress in the hotel industry. She was also living with addiction.
Ms Furbert, therefore, had to help take care of her young sisters, ensuring they ate, got ready for school and did their homework.
This didn’t prevent her doing well at school however, attending the Gilbert Institute, Whitney Institute and Bermuda College, before leaving the island to attend Springfield College, Massachusetts. She graduated in 1999 with a bachelor of science in rehabilitation services and a master of science in occupational therapy.
The latter appealed to her because her stepfather had a stroke and she wanted to find a way for him to be more independent. There was also a need for more Bermudians with those skills.
While away, her “village” helped look after her family, but it was hard.
“I would hear the stories back home of situations in which my younger sister would be placed in and so it was a duty to come home to be able to provide some sort of stability for my sisters,” she said.
Ms Furbert’s personal experiences help her understands people and personalities better than most, which is a valuable political skill.
“Politics is an act of possibility and an act of compromise and it’s also an act of providing information,” she said, adding: “You have to learn how to strategically align yourself with certain persons to be able to get something done.”
HELPING THE VULNERABLE
There’s still more she wants to get done, in particular tackling discrimination based on perceived association, income or disability.
“We have some changes coming forward for the Human Rights Commission to strengthen disability rights as well as to strengthen discrimination against persons,” she said.
When people judge without having all the facts, she explained, “someone can be blackballed based on information that’s not even true and then it takes that person such a long time to be able to rise above that.”
This is a major reason, she believes, why people have chosen to leave Bermuda.
Ending discrimination based on income source is also important. If someone is on financial assistance, for example, they may be denied housing or childcare.
“We can’t be like that,” she said. “Income is income.”
A HUMBLING CHALLENGING
On a more day-to-day basis, Ms Furbert helps people find information they need, in particular government services they are entitled to. While she strives to help everyone, she struggles with housing difficulties.
“That is very challenging for me because there is not an infinite supply of housing that I can send people to,” she said.
“There are a lot of properties sitting in Bermuda with persons who are not living in them. We have to figure out a way for those houses to be occupied, but it’s not going to be a quick fix.
“Politics is definitely a humbling experience. You grow leaps and bounds, but you also have to be in a mind frame to be able to accept that growth because you’re challenged.
“You’re challenged to manage your family, you’re challenged to manage your relationships with people. You’re challenged to create good sound policy and legislation that will have an impact on people for years to come.”
