PRESS RELEASE
Don’t be fooled – women’s progress still slow, says new SPC women’s advocate
Tuesday 4 July, 2006, Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) Headquarters, Nouméa – Women are rising to positions of
influence throughout the Pacific – but that doesn’t mean gender equality has been achieved, says the new Women’s
Advocacy and Communication Officer at the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC).
Julie Middleton, 36, a former New Zealand Herald journalist, said the achievements of women such as New Caledonian
president Marie-Noelle Themereau, vice-president Dewe Gorode, New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark and Tonga’s Alisi
Taumoepeau, the kingdom’s first female Cabinet minister, could create the mistaken impression that equality had been
achieved.
“The attention paid to the few women in power can obscure the fact that gross inequalities between men and women still
exist in the Pacific,” she said. “People see women in influential positions and think gains have been made.
’’But frequently, we see that there are few or no female successors coming up behind them, and that overall, women’s
representation in decision-making roles is low.’’
Excluding Australia and New Zealand, women number just 10.9 per cent of Pacific Parliamentarians.* ‘’This tells us that
much work remains to be done to ensure that women are able to take part in decision-making on behalf of their
communities.’’
Ms Middleton’s role is to spread the word about PWB’s work for women and develop related media training initiatives.
At the New Zealand Herald she was an award-winning senior writer, principally in human rights issues, and a departmental
editor. She has written for publications as diverse as The Guardian (UK), The New Zealand Listener, and the
Sunday-Star-Times.
Ms Middleton, who is of English, Irish and Maori (Tainui) descent, is also passionate about French language. “Working
for SPC and living in New Caledonia combines two of my passions – speaking French on a daily basis in this beautiful
country, and working to make the region a fairer place for my Pacific sisters.”
* The figure comes from research by the Pacific Institute for Advanced Studies in Democratic Government, part of the
University of the South Pacific. See www.usp.ac.fj/index.php?id=piasdg
ENDS