Women’s leadership in Samoa

Abstract

Women are under-represented in village councils, the local judiciary of traditional village communities in Samoa. The participation rate of women leaders is relatively low as the total population of these forums is predominantly male. Village councils consist of holders of matai titles only. Of the 240 traditional villages in Samoa, 41 do not allow women to be bestowed with matai titles. Additionally, 34 other traditional villages do not allow resident female matai to participate in village council meetings. Therefore, these restrictions heavily contribute to the under-representation of women in the local judiciary of traditional village communities. This article aims to explore reasons for women’s under-representation as well as investigating why village rules have been established to restrict women from holding matai titles, and not recognising their participation in village council meetings. It is possible that tensions may have existed between patriarchal administration and potential women leaders who challenge the status quo. In this article, I draw on the literature which examines the perspectives through a feminist lens to contextualise the suppression women have encountered while striving for leadership positions and relate this to village councils of traditional communities in Samoa. A mixed method methodology consisting of semi-structured interviews, observations and document analysis gathers information for the study. The findings reveal that cultural, social, and religious obstacles restrain potential women leaders from accessing leadership posts in local government. Other interesting aspects of the findings include the communal and non-hierarchical nature of women in empowering themselves when advocating for their rights to leadership.