With the world’s lowest representation of women in parliament, women’s opportunities to participate in leadership and decision-making in the Pacific are often considered limited. A new study by the Asian Development Bank’s Pacific Private Sector Development Initiative finds that, increasingly, Pacific women are being afforded leadership opportunities in the private sector. Women’s representation as company directors is considerably higher than for members of parliament in most countries in the study, and the Pacific average for women’s representation as CEOs and directors compares favourably with global averages.

The study assesses the representation of women in senior management and board positions in over 274 private sector organisations across 14 Pacific Island countries. It presents analysis by country, sector, and organisation type, and provides best practice examples and recommendations to support the private sector to further increase women’s representation in leadership.