FWRM research finds that 42% of Fiji boards have no women at all

The Fiji Women’s Rights Movement says research published today has revealed a stark underrepresentation of women on governance boards in Fiji.

The research found that women comprise only 21% of all board members.

The Women’s Rights Movement says a very concerning finding from the research is that 42% of Fiji boards have no women at all and 26% have less than one-third female participation.

The research on gender diversity and equality on boards looked at 192 board members across 38 government-controlled organisations, State-Owned Enterprises, commercial, non-commercial and corporate entities with boards.

The FWRM says the purpose of the research was to determine the level of women’s representation or membership in the boards of the 38 entities.

The FWRM says women’s participation in decision-making is fundamental to improving gender equality but despite making up half of the population, representation at all levels of leadership for women is severely lacking.

The research also identified challenges that limit the participation of women in Fiji’s leadership, such as the lack of diversity and opportunity for women to hold the position of board chair.

According to the research, women hold only 18% of board chair positions and sometimes it is the same women appointed to board chair in multiple organisations. It says in many cases, the same people are on multiple boards. This curtails the opportunities for others to join, contribute and gain board experience.

The FWRM says ensuring that women are better represented on boards is important to dismantle patriarchal ideals that are heavily entrenched into our society and limit women’s participation in decision-making.

It says there is strong evidence that a gender-equal and diverse governance board improves accountability and diversifies the expertise, knowledge and skills available.

The FWRM also highlighted the importance of accountability and recommended that websites and audited accounts of all Government entities and boards be properly updated and publicly available.

The research says that the lack of data and updated information on board members, lack of audited accounts amongst other information on such entities, and poorly updated websites, in non-compliance with legal requirements is worrisome, especially in light of recent legislation which demands that NGOs in the not-for-profit sector, provide audited accounts, information about their boards, and all relevant data.

Minister for Women, Mereseni Vuniwaqa is expected to comment later.