Former MP questions slow progress for women in Parliament

Former Member of Parliament Salote Radrodro has challenged Fiji to confront the slow pace of women's political representation, warning that the country remains well short of its goal despite six decades of women serving in Parliament.

Speaking at the launch of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) Fiji Group Booklet: Celebrating Women in Parliament and Senate 1966–2026, Ms Radrodro said Fiji's current 9.1 per cent female representation in Parliament showed how much work remained.

Referring to the CWP Fiji Group's target of increasing women's representation to 30 per cent, she questioned whether enough progress had been made over the past 60 years.

"We don't have to look far. We can look at those pictures. It's 60 years, and how many women are up there?" Ms Radrodro said.

"Right now we are trying to achieve 30 per cent, but according to the Speaker's foreword we are as low as 9.1 per cent. After 60 years, have we really achieved much?"

While acknowledging that more women were joining political parties, she said the greater challenge was ensuring they were elected to Parliament.

Ms Radrodro called on Fiji to consider legislative reforms adopted in other countries to improve women's representation.

Former Minister for Women, Social Welfare and Poverty Alleviation Adi Asenaca Caucau, who served in Parliament from 2001 to 2006, said education remained the foundation for increasing women's participation in politics.

"I still maintain that education is the key. We need to educate our young women, but it also depends on the voters. We need to educate the voters as well," she said.

Fiji Media Association president and Fiji Sun publisher Rosi Doviverata said changing voter attitudes was equally important.

"We have more women voters than men voters, but that is not reflected in the number of women entering Parliament," Ms Doviverata said.

"The challenge for all of us is how we change that mindset."