FWRM’s launches feminist mentoring programme for mid-career women to be led by Imrana Jalal

The Fiji Women’s Rights Movement today launched a pilot feminist mentoring programme for mid-career women at the “If Women Stop, the World Stops” concert in Suva, marking International Women’s Day.

Six women will be mentored by FWRM co-founder and board member, Imrana Jalal under the Mentoring Program for Mid-Career Women, PiF-M.

Executive Director Nalini Singh says the year-long programme is tailor made for Fijian citizens only, targeting the specific group of women to help provide them support and guidance.

She says they are taking their current leadership programmes to the next level and they want to help contribute to the growth of women who have the potential to be leaders in their different areas of work.

Singh says these women are often at mid-career and hit the “glass ceiling”; overlooked and denied the most senior levels of upper management.

Mentor Imrana Jalal made reference to the “Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion - Leadership in Fiji Government -controlled Boards” research undertaken by FWRM in 2020 which showed significant gender gaps in leadership spaces in Fiji.

Jalal says the 1995 Beijing Platform of Action set a global target of 30% women in all forms of decision making by 2020, also committed to by Fiji.

She says their research last year found that of 192 Board members in 38 government controlled boards, women comprise only 21% of all Board members, or 40 of 192. Ten of 38 Boards or 26%, have less than 30% women participation and 16 or 42% of 38 Boards have no women at all.

Jalal says overall, women’s participation in leadership spaces is low and this is why it is crucial that they support women at mid-career levels to help them progress into these spaces.

(Apply through the following link to be a part of this programme: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PIF-M)