We have come a long way from a women’s place being barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen, writes Ruta Mave.

The sixties liberation movement was to give women equality in the workplace, being allowed to have a job, has now become commonplace and economically expected for women to work.  The downside is women are still expected to be in the kitchen but now they can buy their own shoes. The liberation of women has added a full-time job to their already full-time hours as the mother of all home management of kids, pets and husbands.

Recent studies show Cook Islands women have significantly outperformed global averages in business industry leadership roles. Statistics are weird.

The same study shows we have improved women directors from 32 per cent in 2021 to 40 per cent in 2024 with representation as CEO’s rising from 27 to 29 per cent. Yet, the same report indicates men still occupy the majority of board director positions and CEO roles in the Cook Islands, with only 15 per cent of board chair positions held by women in 2024, a decrease from 25 per cent in 2021. Is it a rise we are celebrating or not?

Of course, we need to celebrate any indication that women are progressing in the world. Women’s significant business contributions impact’s our economy and as great role models. Women are climbing corporate ladders and holding higher rungs but usually the one just below the male, who gets the kudos and recognition for the work the women achieve that make him look good.

But when the female director of our regional university is the selection committee nominee for the Secretary of Education position, due to her experience and qualifications, is overlooked in favour of a less qualified male, how can women progress? He now sits a rung above another accomplished female who is managing a large part of the job, here in Rarotonga while he attends the Olympics in Paris. The great benefit of having strong capable women working below title holders is if it all goes well the title gets the recognition, but if it all goes badly the title blames them for the results.  

Despite the alleged business progressions, we are below the trend in our political spheres. Seven women in our Parliament looks like a great achievement – but is it, really? When you get down to the bare facts of nearly one third of Parliament is female, what looks impressive on paper does not hold water of any magnitude in the slightest rain.

We have a couple of wife placeholders who stepped in to keep the seat warm for their husbands. One is in jail for theft and fraud whilst deputy prime minister and the other, well, he should have been made accountable for signing off an eight-year purse seine fishing deal at the criminally small amount while we pay top dollars for our own fish. Should we take the wives seriously?

We have two recently elected women through a fair and proper process, from the villages of Mangaia, which is now bereft of people compared to the past. The island population of 400 boasts three Members of Parliament, where one village had a voting power of forty.

Then we have the two Atiu ladies who appear from a distance to be puppets on a string. The daughter holds some sort of Internal Affairs/Health portfolio and travelled to Mongolia for a women’s leadership conference, the mother went to one in New Zealand. Have they passed on their knowledge learnt to others? 

The Minister of Health is female. Throughout the Covid pandemic, measles outbreak and hitting the number one spot in childhood obesity in the whole wide world she has not made any public statements but she did renovate her office for a $75,000 cost. Her lack of frontline presence while someone else speaks and is seen doing the work while she gets the credit, is well and truly a male politician attribute.

We have a female Leader of the Opposition who has held this place of defeat for some time.  The opposition party’s purpose is to keep the current government accountable when they are not performing for the benefit of the people. Not this gal, we hardly hear from her. Very understandable, when she still works full time as a lawyer in her own private business managing others in her office.  Does this constitute a conflict of interest?  So, when does she have time for her full-time Member of Parliament duties? The questions are the answers.

She also attended a women’s leadership forum in New York with her husband, all on the gravy train expenses.

Again, no follow up teaching advertised.

No wonder we are trailing the female political equity, when the women in there, don’t care to share, how to get there.