AUT Professor of Pacific Studies, Tagaloatele Peggy Dunlop said only a decade ago females made up five percent of matai, or chiefs, based in Samoa. But she said that figure had grown to 11 percent, and of those, just over half were village-based.
She said some villages still prohibited women entering the fa'amatai chiefly system, but it was crucial for a wider representation, especially on issues like domestic violence.
