As gender equality is at heart of the agenda for the nation, the government strives to increase the participation and representation of women in the workforce.

This was stressed by the Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection, Lynda Tabuya at the first-ever Ministerial Forum on Gender Equality and Empowerment of all Women and Girls in Suva today.

According to the recent Fiji Country Gender Assessment, there was an 18% increase in women’s participation in the workforce and the proportion of women earning wages rose from 62% to 69% between 2015 and 2019.

[Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection, Lynda Tabuya]

It also states that women now represents 35% of people employed in the formal sector, but a significant number of these women are inclined towards low paying jobs; earning one third less than men in the informal sector.

Tabuya says while progress has been noted in the area of gender equality, there are challenges that hinders women to drive sustainable growth in the economy.

“After decades of advocacy, awareness, policy and law reforms, we as a country have come far. We have made notable progress in several key areas, but our challenges remain. And you are very aware of and deal with these challenges daily.”

Tabuya says as men leave for employment overseas through the labour mobility scheme, it is also an opportunity for women to fill up the gap in the workforce wherein they will be the backbone of the economy in future.

She therefore urges stakeholders to undertake genuine action, in order to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls as it is a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world.

The first-ever Ministerial Forum on Gender Equality and Empowerment of all Women and Girls convenes stakeholders to delve into practical steps for translating gender equality policies into tangible change at all levels of society.