As Fiji prepares for municipal elections, many women hesitate to step into leadership roles because they lack confidence, training, and support.
This issue was highlighted in a recent dialogue by Women’s Assistant Minister Sashi Kiran, who shared her observations from her interactions with women across various communities in Fiji.
Kiran, who joined Parliament in late 2022, was struck by the limited representation of women in legislative spaces, with only five women out of 55 in Parliament.
“This was brought to me in Nadi in some business community. Women talked about health issues, postpartum and menopause.
“The perspective of women is very, very limited, and we know that to make any good legislation, it’s important to have viewpoints from different areas, ethnic groups, age groups, gender, and geography,” she said.
“Some women in very confident managerial positions did not feel they were prepared enough,” Kiran said. “They didn’t feel they were training enough. They didn’t feel they had the right emotional and mental support. They didn’t feel they had mentorship.”
These barriers, Kiran noted, are exacerbated by societal pressures, fears of social media bullying, and concerns about how their public presence might be perceived.
In some areas, such as Rakiraki, Kiran found that women did not fully understand the electoral process. Even in Nadi, where women in business discussed health concerns such as menopause and postpartum issues, the conversations revealed a lack of confidence that hinders women’s pursuit of leadership.
Kiran also addressed the visibility of women in leadership.
“We have women leaders in every sphere… but they’re not visible,” she noted, stressing that this invisibility contributes to the perception that men are the primary decision-makers.
