Transcript
AMY LUINSTRA: The objective of the professional network for women in Solomon Islands is really to provide a safe, supportive space for women to meet with eachother as well as to build some leadership skills. So in Solomon Islands women are less than half of the labour force participation of men, and they really don't have that many opportunities to meet with other women, or even to network at all. Networking events tend to be after hours when they have many many responsibilities with their families. The idea of the Network is to provide that space to allow women to build their own supportive networks and to learn practical skills.
SALLY ROUND: So are we talking about lawyers, doctors, businesswomen?
AL: Indeed. Many of the fifty women we're starting the network with are managers within some of the larger companies in Solomon islands. So they might be human resources managers. There's some engineers and accountants for sure. There's also a number of people who are aspiring leaders. So we've asked the businesses themselves who are members of the Solomon Islands Chamber of Commerce to nominate their high potential women and their business leaders, and the ones they see as being groomed for even more higher levels and senior roles in future.
SR: The gender equality in Solomons is very poor, isn't it? In terms of women's participation in parliament, high rates of violence against women. Is this something you're hoping to drive change in other directions as well?
AL: Absolutely, we have a partnership with the Chamber of Commerce that's about working with the businesses themselves to demonstrate the case for gender equality and to create work spaces that are safe and supportive of women getting into more leadership positions and different jobs across the board. there's also very low representation fo women in any technical or trades role, so we want to create the safe and supportive work spaces, work with the business leaders, male and female, to create a workplace culture that supports women's achievement as well as work with women who are aspiring leaders to get them access to the networks of course but also the skills training, self-confidence, communication skills, leadership skills in general that can allow them to take the opportunity when it becomes increasingly available.
SR: And what sort of difficulties are you seeing for professional women as they try to make headway, what's holding them back?
AL: It's many of the things that you've already cited. So there's very few role models in public or private sector of women leaders. most of the leaders in Solomon Islands are men, and so it feels quite lonely. And you're given the situation that you often have when there's only a few spaces where some of the women that are making it into senior levels are not always supportive of the other women. So that's one of the things that the network will address. But more than that it's just the opportunities, some of the real skills that are needed for being a leader - unlike what most of them have grown up with. Having the right communications skills, the self-confidence to be leaders and we want to work on all of that.
