BY LYNTON AARON FILIA
WITHIN the top two highest levels of senior management positions within the Solomon Islands Public Service, men outnumber women on a ratio of 12 to 1, it is reported.
This comprises around 8 percent of all senior management positions within the government ministries.
Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Public Service Mr Nego Sisiolo revealed the report during a workshop on the Gender Mainstreaming and Sensitisation Workshop for Human Resources Managers and Gender Focal Points yesterday.
Sisiolo said such report is truly below the global target minimum of 30 percent of women in leadership position which the United Nations Economic and Social Council endorsed in 1990 and reaffirmed the Beijing Platform for Action in 1995.
He said in Solomon Islands’ Public Service, compared to many other developed and developing countries, public administration often remains a patriarchal institution, perpetuating gender-based traditions, attitudes and practices.
He said women do not yet participate equally in public administration, especially in leadership and decision-making roles.
Sisiolo said without including mass number of women, the public service have not tapped into the full potential of the country’s workforce, capacity and creativity.
Sisiolo said, “Barriers to women’s advancement in public administration undermine the fundamental principles of equal opportunity and social justice in society as a whole.”
He adds, multiple strategies must be developed to break such barriers down, and garner ongoing support and commitment from all stakeholders.
With the workshop, Sisiolo said it is important for public servants from both government and private sectors to equip them with necessary knowledge, skills and tools.
He said acquiring such tools will enable participants carry its role actively as an effective Gender focal point in their respective ministries and agencies.
“If we want to achieve gender equality in the Public Service, we must be intentional about it,” Sisiolo said.
