WOMEN S LIFE IN A FIJIAN VILLAGE Submitted by Tamarisi Yabaki A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the Requirements of the degree of Doctor of Education School of Education and Community Studies Division of Communication and Education University of Canberra 17 th March 2006.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I thank the Lord for his provision, grace and support for the completion of this thesis and I give Him all the glory. I will be forever grateful to the following people for sharing their heart, their time, effort, knowledge and skills towards the production of this thesis: Dr. Christine Trimingham-Jack and Professor Marie Brennan Associate Professor Anne Campbell Dr. Neill Ustick To all the women in Marama Village Vina valevu na yalo ni vitokoni qei nia lemuchu holia lemuchu gauna qeinia lemuchu i yau i na kea qwaravi rewa na vuli levu okwe. I dedicate this, my major academic attempt to my husband Nete and my children Ima, Mili, Boni and Lani and to my parents Ifereimi and Miliana Matatolu. Their prayers and constant encouragement and support over the years have been everything a woman could wish for. i
ABSTRACT The impact of the market economy is a significant challenge facing Fijian rural communities. It is especially challenging for indigenous rural women who are managing the shift from a subsistence way of living to engagement in money generating activities. The challenge is more acute amongst disadvantaged populations such as women in rural communities who lack the resources and the political power to manage these challenges. The thesis provides a critical ethnographic, action-research study of the daily socioeconomic experiences of a group of Fijian village women, at this time of significant change. It provides and in-depth case study of a rural Fijian village located in the upper reaches of the Sigatoka Valley. The case study focuses on the women s perspectives about their daily lived experiences and actions that followed from reflection on these, drawing out from these implications for indigenous Fijian women s social progress and development. Herself, a member of the community, the researcher gathered data by a combination of participant observation, survey, diaries, focus groups and interviews. The researcher s observations and understandings were fed back to the participants in the form of a workshop with the intention of confirmation and to provide and opportunity for action based on this reflection. It is argued that the success of managing the influence of the market economy on the villagers is to create social and political spaces and opportunities to hear and understand local epistemologies and daily lived experiences, reflexively. ii
As an indigenous scholar, the researcher interrogates and deconstructs her own academic epistemologies and positions as a knowledge broker in order to co-construct new practices with her people. The research promises to make public Fijian village women s knowledge, values, practices and experiences so that they can be understood by local scholars and local government development officers. Privileging the village women s knowledge and bringing it to the core is a significant political act that might form the basis of proceeding political encounters that women will face in the development process. iii
CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1 Introducing the researcher 8 The research question 11 Aims of the study 12 Thesis structure 16 CHAPTER TWO: WOMEN DEVELOPMENT AND EMPOWERMENT: REVIEW OF LITERATURE 19 The Women in Development Approach (WID) 23 The Gender and Development Approach (GAD) 27 Women, environment and sustainable development 32 Women s development in the Third World 34 Women, development and empowerment in the new millennium 41 Gender mainstreaming 43 Analysing with a gender lens 45 A closing but persistent gap in education 46 The active participation of women in decision-making arenas 50 Knowledge and approach to women s work 53 Women development and empowerment: Fiji and the Pacific Islands 54 What has been achieved amongst Pacific women 58 CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY AND METHODS 63 Ethnographic case study 63 Feminism and participatory action research 69 Overview of the research design 74 The fieldwork 75 The household survey 76 The women s diaries 78 The focus groups 78 The interviews 81 iv
The women s workshop 82 The fish pond questionnaire and letter 83 Limitations in methods and methodology 84 Conducting the fieldwork: exploratory discussions 84 Negotiating access 86 Cultural immersion: becoming a village woman 87 Reflections on insider and outsider positions 88 Using the local indigenous dialect 91 Data analysis 92 Analysing data with multiple lenses 94 Establishing research validity 95 Ethics 97 Access and informed consent 98 Empowering and caring 100 Conclusion 101 CHAPTER FOUR: MARAMA VILLAGE 103 Physical features 103 Climate 104 Basic demography 105 The village houses 106 Household furnishing 108 Household energy 108 Sanitation and health 109 Water supply 111 The village community 112 The family 115 The annual farming calendar 117 April: The farming season begins for the women 117 October: The fallow period 120 The local village school 121 v
The church 123 Conclusion 123 CHAPTER FIVE: A WEEK IN THE LIFE OF FIJIAN VILLAGE WOMEN 125 Naula 125 Merea 130 Esilia 134 A re-presentation of the women s diaries 137 Monday to Wednesday 138 Thursday to Sunday 148 Conclusion 154 CHAPTER SIX: THE FIJIAN WOMEN AND THEIR LOCAL INSTITUTIONS 157 The Village Women and the Vanua 158 The predominance of the vanua and its communal spirit 158 Expectations of the women 159 Women at the crossroad of the market and traditional economy 162 Leadership in the village as the women see it 163 The Village Women and the Church 167 The women and their religious persuasions 167 The Village Women and the Family 171 The welfare of the family 171 The women are the backbone of the village economy 172 Farming activities and climatic fluctuations 174 Women dream of better homes 176 The Village Women and the School 178 The village women and their school experience 178 The village women s perspective on education 180 The village women s major challenges for their children s education 182 vi
The Village Women and Agriculture 183 The village women and the division of labour 183 The women s major challenges in agriculture 185 The women suggest ways of managing their farming difficulties 186 The Village Women and the Market Place 189 Tensions between Fijian tradition and the market place 189 Nowadays money is everything 190 Other sources of income for the women 193 The Village Men s view of life in the Village 194 The village men s perspectives on women s role and status 194 The village men s perception of the challenges that affect their community 196 The village men s view of education 198 The village men s view of development 199 Conclusion 201 CHAPTER SEVEN: THE WOMEN S OWN FISH POND 204 Past projects 206 The fish pond as an option 207 Helping the women understand the language of the project 208 The women show their wisdom 209 Stepping into the world of commercial banking 211 Repaying borrowed money, the village women s way 212 Communal effort in creating the fish pond 213 Feeding the fish and lessons in accountability 214 The first fish harvest: a cause for celebration 216 Working under good leadership 217 The women s encounter with money 219 An illustration that things can change 221 Conclusion 223 vii
CHAPTER EIGHT: CONCLUSION 227 Women s daily needs and challenges 228 Negotiating the old and the new 229 Creating spaces for women 230 Lessons for village women s empowerment 236 Implications for professional practice 239 Addressing women s ways of knowing 241 Reflections of an indigenous researcher 243 viii
REFERENCES 246 APPENDICES APPENDIX A 259 The Household Survey APPENDIX B 269 Focus Group Questions APPENDIX C 270 Interview Questions APPENDIX D 272 Fish Pond questionnaire APPENDIX E 273 Ethics approval letter APPENDIX F 274 Participant information sheet APPENDIX G 276 Consent form APPENDIX H 277 Release form TABLES Table 1 : Research Cycle Activities 75 ix