Gloria Julia King is the only female member of Vanuatu's parliament.

Before she was elected last year, there hadn't been a female MP in Vanuatu for 15 years.

"It was very hard to make the decision to go into parliament because ni-Vanuatu people — in their mind, in their upbringing, in their surroundings — the leadership has always been the men," she told the ABC's The Pacific program. 

"If people tell me that I can't do it, it lights a fire beneath me that makes me want to prove them wrong."

Despite already being a well-known community leader and businessperson, getting elected was not easy.

"Going into this, I was aware of what I was up against," Ms King said.

"It's a man's world … even being there, I can almost feel that this is not my place."

Click here to read the full article published by ABC News on 28 April 2023.