Ritika Pratap 
Minister for Women and Children Lynda Tabuya says while 43 percent of Fiji’s workforce has preschool-aged children, only eight percent utilise childcare services, leading many working parents to depend on family or unqualified babysitters.
This was highlighted in the Early Childhood Care Policy and Regulatory Framework Guidance Note which was developed in response to a 2019 IFC study, “Tackling Childcare: the business case for employer supported childcare in Fiji.”
Tabuya shed light on report findings which found care work to be a significant barrier to women’s economic participation.
She says only 37 percent of Fijian women are economically active compared to 72 percent of men, despite women comprising 60-65% of university students.
The Minister also says that Fijian women spend two to three times more on unpaid domestic and care work than their male counterparts.
She adds the report stated that employers also faced substantial losses, averaging 12.7 days of lost work time per employee due to childcare responsibilities, costing up to FJ$550,000 annually.
Tabuya made these comments at a side event organised by UN Women and the International Finance Corporation, and held along the margins of the 2024 Asia-Pacific Care Forum in Bangkok, Thailand.
