Rotary district 9980 governor and Invercargill North Rotary Club president Trish Boyle said the roles of governors and club presidents were traditionally occupied by males, and there were still clubs in New Zealand which did not allow females to join.
"But the tides are turning. There's certainly a growing number of women taking leadership roles in Rotary clubs.
"Women have as many opportunities in Rotary as men."
Mrs Boyle said there were six Rotary districts in New Zealand and three of them were governed by women.
It was the first time in the world that at least half of a country's Rotary districts had been governed by women, she said.
And at a local level, three of the six Rotary clubs in Dunedin also have female presidents.
The shift was due to greater flexibility within clubs, and Mrs Boyle said Rotary was now about getting the right people for the leadership roles.
"It's an absolute privilege to have the responsibility of leading this district.
"I want to do it well and be the best I can be, so that future women are judged positively by what I do."
Mrs Boyle was in Dunedin this week as part of a tour of all Rotary clubs in district 9980 which covers the area south of Temuka.
Her visits were aimed at motivating, encouraging and giving clubs direction, she said.
