I am reassured that this year’s International Women’s Day has chosen “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow” as its theme.  For someone who has the privilege of holding a senior leadership role, this is a principle that motivates my planning and target setting, and which I strive to embed into team building and support.

A gender-equal world has far more significance than on a solely personal level. For more than 20 years my academic research focused on the political representation of women and the institutional barriers and obstacles that hindered female agency. Countries across the globe have implemented equal opportunities legislation, but research evidenced time and again that other barriers persisted in terms of opportunities to lead in the workplace.  Furthermore, the physical spaces and time to articulate women’s interests have often been limited and labelled as ‘an opportunity when it should be the norm.

The research community in the late 20th Century often focused on the ‘glass ceilings’ – those implicit behaviours and operating cultures which hindered equality despite the legislation. As managers and leaders, we encourage our teams to seek out role models who can mentor and advise – all too often the demand on female role models is high because their numbers are so few. Thankfully, the persistence of those who have long campaigned for a gender-equal world is paying off. In terms of overall staff numbers at the Fiji National University, over the last three years, the gender balance has marginally improved, with women now comprising 47.3% of the staff population. A quick overview of the Fiji National University workforce indicates that there is a 25 per cent representation of women in the Senior Management role. This is gradually increased when compared to previous years and there is a push by management to have more females in leadership and decision making roles.

The glass ceiling can only be broken by those who overcome the ‘leaking pipeline’ – the challenge faced by organizations when talent does not progress up the leadership ladder.  Again, it is often cultural factors and expectations both in and outside of the workplace which mean that women are ‘blocked’ disproportionately in fulfilling ambitions and potential.

Let’s make a pledge on IWD 2022 to do what we can to break the glass ceiling and repair the leaking pipeline – by firmly yet politely calling out those everyday comments and expectations which stand in the way of gender equality. It is so often the small changes that empower and motivate – and collectively we can all #BreakTheBias.

Professor Lisa Harrison,

Pro-Vice-Chancellor Learning and Teaching,

Fiji National University