Less women affect work

FINDING women engineers and builders in Fiji is a challenge, says Rotary Pacific Water for Life Foundation executive officer Neil Maharaj.

At a regional conference on Gender-Responsive Climate Policy Formulation in Suva last week, he challenged women to take up civil engineering and construction courses.

“We find it very challenging to get women to join an organisation that is doing construction,” Mr Maharaj said.

“There are fewer women in Fiji that have Bachelor of Construction, Bachelor of Civil Engineering or Bachelor of Water Engineering (degrees).

“I challenge women. How do we generate more women water engineers? Can we generate more civil engineers who are women?

“Because in Fiji, I was able to find only two.”

Mr Maharaj said challenges arose when donors required that women ought to make up 70 per cent of organisations.

“How do we meet those criteria when we know that no organisation, no institute in Fiji, provides training or qualifications to interview?

“And while we were the first to pioneer women to do training, there is no organisation empowering women and other genders, LGBTQI, to undertake such courses where they can join organisations of engineering and construction backgrounds.

“We are talking about climate in general, but this is something we’re facing on the ground.”

Mr Maharaj said it was a challenge for his organisation to find data on LGBTQI in Fiji.

“Not only that, on gender, what we find when we do analysis or profiling or surveys for program interventions, it is very challenging to find data on LGBTQI.

“We have surveys and forms that ask you which gender you belong to. There is a lot of hesitance in getting the data.

“So, we are working with Rainbow Foundation to build our capacity, how do we ask these questions of other genders or people so that the group understands this?”