‘More Needs To Be Done In Addressing Women Equality’

Nur Bano Ali President, Women in Business structures are readily accepting of male dominance and not so readily accepting of women in leadership. This is simply because we are accustomed for many generations to accept and even if painfully to condone such skewed structures to continue.

Discussions around targets and quotas for women is still very relevant in seeking to address the imbalance of women’s representations.

A lot of rhetoric around the need to increase women’s numbers and participation at various organisational levels without the thorough understanding of what this means and how it can be achieved.

Yes we need the numbers of women to increase at higher levels but what are we doing about it? Just talking about it will not make it happen.

There is much need for intervention and disruption if we are to get to a place of true equality.

We need a change in the mindset as Women Business leaders during the 2019 Women in Business Awards at the Grand Pacific Hotel on July 5, 2019. to what equality of women means- an enormous amount of effort is required to enable women to feel the true sense of freedom of choice in all occupations.

Change in the daily jobs of household chores to child minding responsibilities to being able to feel safe at night in their homes and even to be able to lead a single parent life without the relegation and condescension of an inferior position is all a very large agenda that needs to be mobilised on multiple fronts to fix the imbalance.

We need the imagery and visual display of women and men in leadership to change. Posters of all men in boardrooms have to become unacceptable and be changed to a different, even if more uncomfortable look with more women in them.

Where has Fiji excelled in this regard?

Fiji has not excelled at fixing the imbalance and inequality in women representation in its decision making processes. Despite the lots of talk and discussions on diversity, inclusion and need to increase women in all sectors the landscape remains much the same. The uptake on women in higher positions remain miserably low.

However, in witnessing the heightened discussion on the need to change in the last 10 years or so

Fiji has in fact seen more women rise in leadership in politics- i.e. more women Ministers albeit not adequate to boast about equality yet.

Women in Business has been running the annual Business and Executive Awards for more than 10 years straight and we have not seen many women rise in leadership and in business. Women in Business and Commerce in Fiji still remains a challenge on many fronts, from the ownership to directorship to management control.

Women in family owned businesses are not groomed for succession and neither for leadership in the boardroom.

What more can and should be done? There is a lot to be done. Some visible positive actions should be:

Targets for numbers of women in leadership in all policy decision making

Training and grooming for women to take up Chief Executive Roles

Directorship training for women to take up board positions

Disclosure requirement on women numbers in employment including positions held

Accountability on equal workplace initiatives such as child care facilities, access to homecare and the like

Finally, while Fiji is far from Women’s Equality, today is when we need to celebrate the brave women in leadership who are paving the way for other women and at the same time acknowledge the pathetically low numbers in leadership and pledge to change this platform.