Minister for Fisheries and Forestry Alitia Bainivalu says her most important job begins when she gets home to her children.
Speaking about her experience as a Member of Parliament, Bainivalu says balancing her responsibilities as a Minister and a mother has been one of the biggest challenges of her political career.
She says once she returns home from work, her focus shifts to caring for her children, helping them with homework and making sure they are looked after, often making it difficult to attend community meetings in the evenings.
Bainivalu says this is a challenge many male parliamentarians may not experience in the same way.
She believes more women should support one another if Fiji is to see greater female representation in Parliament.
Insert:Bainivalu on women
Bainivalu notes that although women made up a large proportion of voters in the last General Election, only five women were elected to Parliament.
She says political parties should also consider increasing the number of women candidates to improve female representation.
Bainivalu is encouraging women interested in politics to enter public service with a genuine desire to help others, saying being a Member of Parliament is a calling to serve the people.
