Women proud to work in male-dominated fields

Narelle Diau, Lilly Wani, Emma Francis and Marychris Gil are proud to be working in roles dominated by men at Divine Word University in Madang.
Francis has been an administration assistant for nearly five years and supports her predominantly male colleagues at DWU.
She said she faced significant challenges as a woman working in construction administration but was grateful for the support of her colleagues.
“I’m grateful for the support of the admin staff,” Francis said.
“They always stand up for me and help me.
“We started really small and now we have come so far over the years.”
In their respective field of expertise the other three females has been very productive and competitive.
Wani, who works as a joiner making furniture for new Divine Word students and staff delivered through the latest Incentive Fund Grant of K7 million.
Her handy work is something her family is proud of.
Diau is a services adviser who has been working in the Divine Word workshop for more than a year. In that time she has managed customer service, client loads and university staff.
She hopes that in time, more women will gain skills and employment in male-dominated fields and continue to break down cultural and employment barriers.
“While it is very challenging, I’m encouraging more women to work in male-dominated environments,” Diau said.
“I’m positive that women can be happy and have a big impact in these kinds of jobs.”
Gil, 23, is a carpenter.
She graduated from a technical training college in Madang and is currently employed as a casual project staff in the carpentry section.
These programme is being supported by the PNG-Australia Partnership programme, through the Incentive Fund.
It is committed to providing support to Papua New Guinean organisations like Divine Word, which value women’s empowerment economically and socially, and contribute towards achieving gender equality in the country.