Women in the House (of Parliament) in Fiji: What’s Gender Got to Do with It?

Abstract

Women in Fiji have made steady, albeit slow, progress in terms of parliamentary representation, with women now holding 14% of seats in the lower house of parliament. Some of the progress has occurred as a result of improvements associated with increased socio-economic development, such as education, female employment and incremental changes in women's standing in Fiji society. Much of this change, however, has been due to women's movements and civil society activism becoming more astute to concerns of gender equality and lobbying for women's political participation. In a country that witnessed four political coups, women have had to create their own path into the public sphere. Despite progress, with an increasing number of women in the 2014 parliament, patriarchy is still a major force hindering women's political advancement in Fiji. This paper argues that a combination of cultural stereotyping and persistent gendered norms contribute to masculinisation of the political realm and eulogise women's role in the private sphere. But gender intersecting with ethnicity, age and class create differential levels of political agency for different groups of women in Fiji.

Fijian women’s experiences of domestic violence and mothers’ perceived impact of children’s exposure to abuse in the home

“…Throughout history, in most male-dominated societies women have often been treated as subordinate to men and have been vulnerable to male violence (Kennedy and Dutton, 1989; Straus and Gelles, 1986). Fiji is a male-dominated society, and Fijian families are characterized by strong male domination through patriarchal culture (Chattier, 2015). Patriarchal structure is still strongly influential in Fijian society, and this patriarchal social structure, for instance in marriage, has reflected the cultural beliefs of male dominance.…”

“…Fiji is a male-dominated society, and Fijian families are characterized by strong male domination through patriarchal culture (Chattier, 2015). Previous studies on domestic violence against women in Fiji have primarily focused on the prevalence, incidence and attitudes related to intimate partner violence.…”

Help-seeking behaviors and practices among Fijian women who experience domestic violence: An exploration of the role of religiosity as a coping strategy

“…The services provided by these organizations include, but are not limited to, counseling, advocacy, community engagement, among others (Newland, 2016). Fiji is a patriarchal society that supports and maintains gender hierarchy, and Fijian families are characterized by male domination which upholds patriarchal beliefs such as the husband is head of the home and all members are expected to comply with his will (Adinkrah, 2001; Chattier, 2015). Gender role underlies all forms of abuse and lends itself to power and control (Levesque, 1999; Rozee, 1993), and women are abused when they overstep the gender role expectation.…”

Great Expectations: Gender and Political Representation in the Pacific Islands

“…Jacqui Leckie (2002: 175), writing on Fiji, argues that 'historical, cultural and special specificities complicate an understanding of women's agencies and alert us to the dilemma of treating the category "women" either as unified or as infinitely fragmented', noting the political divisions of ethnicity, culture and class. Recent work on women's political representation in the Pacific Islands has focused on the intersectionalities of multiple identities -including class, religion, race, ethnicity, cultural background, party affiliation, age and kinship ties -that complicate women's involvement in politics as candidates, voters and representatives (see Chattier 2015;Corbett and Liki 2015), complementing similar work by scholars outside the region (see, for example , Young 2002;Yuval-Davis 2006). Yet despite these intersectionalities, women are commonly seen as a relatively homogeneous group in terms of political activity.…”