International Women’s Day will be celebrated globally on March 8 with the theme, I am Generation Equality: Realizing Women's Rights. We spoke to some of the region’s women about the challenges and opportunities of being leaders and for some, pioneers in their fields.
Growing up in the highlands of Papua New Guinea, Doris Meliwane was fascinated with vehicles. It was a fascination that stayed with her. Doris now teaches and fixes motor vehicles and was one of the female pioneers in the automotive industry in PNG’s capital, Port Moresby.
Priya Darshani is a wife, mother, daughter in law and is also Fiji’s first female executive chef of a five-star property. Growing up in Sigatoka, Priya’s passion for cuisine was fueled by fresh foods and vegetables that were widely available and grown in her backyard. This is her story.
Gender Inequality Perspective from a CEO in Tonga
Rosamond Carter Bing believes she’s well placed to help drive change and push for gender inequality in Tonga. As CEO of Tonga’s Ministry of Land and Natural Resources, Rosamund knows firsthand about some of the inequalities existing today in her country – especially given her background in law.
When Laavanete Juliano graduated with an honours degree in 2017, she became the first female structural engineer in Kiribati. Now she’s working as an officer in charge at the Quality Control and Inspection Unit in the Ministry of Infrastructure and Sustainable Energy.