Cabinet nod to women’s plan

CABINET yesterday endorsed the development of the Women’s Economic Empowerment National Action Plan (WEENAP) for 2024-2029.

The plan will be developed in partnership with key stakeholders via an inclusive whole-of-government and transformative, evidence-based approach to address structural barriers that limit women’s economic participation in Fiji.

A Cabinet release stated the challenges faced by women and girls, when it comes to effective economic participation, have been identified through examination of data and analysis in the Fiji Country Gender Assessment (FCGA) and other sources.

“These challenges include the significant burden of unpaid care and work on women and girls, the over representation of women in informal economy, the issue of bodily autonomy with high prevalence of genderbased violence and limited access to sexual reproductive health rights, among others,” the Cabinet release stated.

“The FCGA confirmed that the economic participation of many women in Fiji was inclined towards low paying jobs (where women earn, on average, one third less than men) within the precarious informal sector.”

The release stated only 35.2 per cent of women were engaged in paid work in the formal sector while they also accounted for fewer than three in 10 people engaged in paid employment in the informal sector (28 per cent).

“In Fiji, there are over 24,000 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) that contribute 18 per cent to Fiji’s GDP, about half of these MSMEs are owned by women but only 19 per cent of registered MSMEs list women as the owner.

“Whether operating a formal or informal business, women entrepreneurs in Fiji face a range of challenges and constraints that limit their ability to start and grow businesses.

“Some of the key constraints include access to finance, limited access to markets, unaddressed training and support needs and societal and cultural attitude.”

The Cabinet stated that given this background, there was an urgent need for the development and adoption of a whole-of-government action plan.

The Ministry of Women, Children and Social Protection will lead the development of the plan and will chair the secretariat while the Australian government will fund the development of the plan.