The Government of Vanuatu has created a legal framework to promote gender equality, ratifying international agreements as the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women. The Vanuatu government has however failed in fully implementing these laws, and is supposedly working with promoting women’s rights in a society where traditional structures remain patriarchal. Among many empowerment projects, an economic approach seem to have been the most successful in gaining acceptance in the rural settlement areas of the capital Port Vila. This study seeks to explain how the merge of local perceptions on gender roles and international ideas on gender equality has created a fruitful environment for economic empowerment, and why this approach is yet to have a significant impact on women in Vanuatu. Conclusively, the study has found that Ni-Vanuatu women in the rural settlement areas of Port Vila only have enjoyed limited effects of economic empowerment.