FWRM launches groundbreaking report - Significant gender gaps found on women’s economic participation

1/03/2023

The Fiji Women’s Rights Movement (FWRM) launched a groundbreaking research report “Beyond 33%: The Economic Empowerment of Fiji Women and Girls”, in Suva today.

The research report launched today, where FWRM commissioned Professor Wadan Narsey, brings in comprehensive analysis of the situation of women and girls in Fiji, focusing on paid work, unpaid household work and leisure time activities. It is solidly based on official data sources such as the Fiji Bureau of Statistics, Fiji Revenue and Customs Services and Fiji National Provident Fund to generate evidence on status of women and girls in the Fijian economy and society.

The report is supported by the Australian Government through the We Rise Coalition.

“The report comprehensively documents the many inequities that women and girls face in the economy in paid work (formal and informal sectors), unpaid household work and in the use of leisure time. As it stands, females are only 34 percent of the Fiji Labour Force while males are 66 percent,” FWRM Executive Director, Nalini Singh said.

Ms Singh said in terms of unpaid work, the report showed that females in Fiji do 73 percent of the unpaid household work compared to 27 percent by males and the largest share of this unpaid household work was done by the paid labour force (females 25% and males 20%) with Full-time Domestic Workers (“housewives”) doing 39 percent, nearly all by females.

The findings of the report also shows that males have more time for leisure activities compared to females, at all ages, growing from primary to tertiary education levels (gap of 5 hours pw). At the ages for workers (23 to 54), there is a gap of 5 hours pw. Even in retirement there is a recorded average gap of - 4.4 hours per week.

“Whilst some work has been done in the past to improve the situation in the area of women in decent work, it is imperative that more work is left to be done to address the existing inequalities outlines in this report so that there is transformative change towards gender equality,” Ms Singh said.

The Assistant Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, Sashi Kiran thanked FWRM and Professor Narsey for the report, reiterating women’s economic empowerment as crucial to our society.

“Increasing women’s participation in the economy creates positive changes for women and ripple effects for the nation overall, however, the existence of systematic and structural barriers faced by women in Fiji hinders holistic opportunities and participation of women in the economy,” Ms Kiran said.

The Australian government support was also acknowledged during the launch and Australian High Commissioner, John Williams said that gender equality was important to the government, both at home and in all their diplomatic, economic empowerment and regional security efforts.

Mr Williams added that the report painted a vivid picture of low rates of formal labour force participation, and that Fijian women were still doing most of the unpaid work, including the vast bulk of care responsibilities at home.

FWRM takes this opportunity to thank the tremendous contribution of Professor Narsey. It is out hope that the findings of this research provide invaluable information and guidance to policy makers to better understand and address the many gender disparities that women and girls face in the economy and society. No country can truly develop and progress gender equality, if half its population is left behind. When women meaningfully participate in the economy, everyone benefits.

*The report is available on the FWRM website here: https://www.fwrm.org.fj/images/Breaking_The_33.pdf

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