Nation Builders: Celebrating Women in the Private Sector follows the success of the first publication celebrating women’s leadership and contributions in the public sector. This new project aims to demonstrate the pivotal role that competent women play in leading and contributing to Vanuatu’s economic development.
Through a collaboration with private sector members, key women senior managers and ‘first’ pioneer women in technical fields of expertise in the private sector were identified and nominated for inclusion in this publication. An independent task force was set up to ensure objectivity in the validation of the nominations. Significant effort was also made to ensure that a wide cross-section of women representing various parts of the private sector was included to minimize any risk of perceptions of bias.
There is a focus on displaying the lives and journeys of these women in overcoming barriers around social norms in their fields of expertise. Discriminatory social norms and societal expectations of the place and role of women are still prevalent in Vanuatu and are key barriers expressed through these stories. In addition, the financial resources required to start a business is often prohibitive for many women, as are the constraints of the policy and legislative environment and the lack of tailored support services for women in business.
A key theme running through the grains of the stories in this booklet is the place of role models, people who inspire you, and those who believe in you. Reflecting on their journeys, many of the women spoke about the importance of being surrounded by these people. The role of the family structure and support system is also critical, especially that of husbands. Many women reflected on the influence of parents, including adoptive parents, who stepped in when needed. Self-care and prioritising one’s own mental health and well-being is also seen as critical, especially to be able to take care of those for whom one is responsible. The pivotal role of faith and practicing gratitude is integral to the well-being of many of these women. Putting in the time and energy to exercise and finding those small moments to ‘breathe’ are touted as being vital.
Indeed many women pointed to the centrality of their faith and culture to ground them, while simultaneously recognising that this can be a double-edged sword to support or hinder progress. The stories demonstrate the multiple hats women wear and the expectation to perform equally well across different domains. In many cases, these women were not only persevering in the face of challenges but were trailblazers, which comes with the added difficulty of not having others from whom one can learn. Women recognised that being in managerial and leadership roles, they are often under more intense pressure and scrutiny than their male counterparts in similar positions. However, rather than seeing this as off-putting, many women see this as providing even more justification for them to be at the discussion and decision-making table.
Ultimately, these are stories of strong, passionate women playing pivotal roles within the private sector to shape and contribute to Vanuatu’s development agenda with pride and dignity. May the stories inspire the next generation of girls and boys to see what is possible.
See the whole booklet here.
Check out other resources developed by Balance of Power here.