Women in Tuvalu

Women in Tuvalu continue to maintain a traditional Polynesian culture within a predominantly Christian society.

[2] The number of women holding positions of Assistant Secretaries in government departments has increased from 20% in 2012 to nearly 50% in 2014.

"[4] Women participate in the traditional music of Tuvalu which consists of a number of dances, including the fatele, fakaseasea and the fakanau.

[5] The fatele, in its modern form, is performed at weddings, community events and to celebrate leaders and other prominent individuals.

[7] Three tertiary institutions offer technical and vocational courses for women: Tuvalu Atoll Science Technology Training Institute (TASTII), Australian Pacific Training Coalition (APTC) and University of the South Pacific (USP) Extension Centre.

Tuvaluan women are primarily involved in traditional agriculture and domestic and community activities.

[12] Remittances from Tuvaluan men employed abroad as sailors, primarily on cargo ships, is a major source of income for families in Tuvalu.

[14] Generally men aged 50 years, and on some islands men aged 60 years, do most of the talking and decision making at meetings of the community councils (Falekaupule), which are organised according to the law and custom of each island.

[15] In 2014, Milikini Failautusi, a Tuvaluan activist, said that cultural issues in Tuvalu are preventing women from working in equal partnership with men.

[19] It advocates for greater participation and decision-making in society for women, and provides educational programmes.

[33] Dr. Nese Ituaso-Conway was the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Ministry of Public Works, Infrastructure, Environment, Labor, Meteorology and Disaster in 2020,[36] and was the Permanent Secretary of the Office of the Prime Minister of Tuvalu in 2018.

Legislative changes are proposed to give the Tuvalu police increased powers and allowing the courts to pass tougher sentences for crimes of violence against women.

The report said that “Committee’s experts expressed concern over the sanctioning of local custom in the [Tuvalu] Constitution and legal system, noting, for example, that husbands were permitted to ‘discipline’ their wives [as well as children]”.

[42] In July 2013 the Pacific Regional Rights Resource Team of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community published drafting options for legislative reform to assist Tuvalu to make changes to the laws and policies relating to violence against women in order to ensure the full protection of women from all forms of violence.

[43] The UN CEDAW Committee observations on the 2015 review of Tuvalu notes the introduction of new domestic violence legislation, more participation by women in local council meetings and the end of some discriminatory education practices.