Vanuatu's Government says it will pass a constitutional amendment to reserve seats in Parliament for women, months after a national election in which none of the nine female candidates were successful.
Justice Minister Ronald Warsal told Radio Australia's Pacific Beat the Government believed direct action was needed and would introduce amendments as early as next month.
"Women have tried over the years [to win office]. In the last election, some women contested for political parties and some stood as independents ... but it's quite difficult," he said.
It has been over 10 years since we have had a woman in Parliament. It is clearly hard for women to win seats in Vanuatu.
Nine women stood as candidates in Vanuatu's national elections earlier this year but failed to win a seat.
Mr Warsal said the Government had not yet determined how many seats will be reserved for women or whether they would be in addition to the Parliament's current 52 seats.
But he hopes to finalise details before Parliament next sits on 10 June.
"It has been over 10 years since we have had a woman in parliament," he said.
"It is clearly hard for women to win seats in Vanuatu, so it is better that we amend the constitution."
The constitutional amendment will require the approval of two thirds of the Parliament in a sitting where at least three quarters of MPs are present.
The Pacific region has the lowest level of women's representation in the world, making up just 4.6 per cent of MPs in independent Pacific countries.
In March, Samoa's general election featured a newly-introduced quota system which required 10 per cent of MPs to be female.