Publications
This page collects together publications on issues related to women in politics from both the Pacific and the world. It collects together research documents, campaigning resources and key papers. If you have a publication we have missed, please send it to the PacWIP team at pacwip@gmail.com.
Women’s Candidacy and the Power of Incumbency in the 2019 Solomon Islands Election
The 2019 Solomon Islands election marked the first time in the country’s history that two women were elected to parliament in a general election. Lanelle Tanangada, who had been elected in the 2018 by-election for the Gizo/Kolombangara seat formerly held by her husband, fended off another strong challenge from former prime minister Gordon Darcy Lilo to keep the seat. Freda Tuki Soriacomua, who won the Temotu Vatud seat in 2014 but was removed from office in 2018 following a court challenge, regained her seat in 2019. While this is a milestone, the under-representation of women in Solomon Islands politics is a continued tradition. As of October 2019, women make up just 4% of members of the national parliament, and around 2% of provincial assembly members. This In Brief examines trends and patterns from the 2019 Solomon Islands election and their effect on women’s representation.
Author: Kerryn Baker
Institution: ANU Department of Pacific Affairs
Date: April 16, 2020
File size and type: 1.29 MB
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IPU/UN Women “Women in politics: 2019” map
The “Women in politics: 2019" map, created by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and UN Women, depicts global rankings for women in the executive and parliamentary branches of government as of 1 January 2019. The map shows progress towards gender equality in these areas at regional and national levels.
Author: N/A
Institution: Inter-Parliamentary Union & UN Women
Date: March 12, 2019
File size and type: 173.53 KB
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Effective Support for Women’s Leadership in the Pacific: Lessons from the Evidence
Improving women’s leadership prospects in the Pacific is a priority for development organisations – but, after years of efforts to understand and help overcome the barriers that women face - what actually works? Elise Howard’s paper, released on the International Women’s Day, unpacks how to understand leadership in the Pacific and draws conclusions on the lessons that can be learnt from decades of work.
Author: Elise Howard
Institution: ANU Department of Pacific Affairs
Date: March 8, 2019
File size and type: 1.09 MB
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Women’s Representation in the 2018 Fiji Election
Fiji went to the polls on 14 November 2018. Women were key players in the 2018 election as both voters and candidates. While women have historically been under-represented in Fijian politics, the 2018 election brought a record number into parliament, where women now hold 10 of the 51 seats. This In Brief examines how women candidates performed in the election and what lessons this might hold for further increasing women’s participation in politics in the future.
Author: Kerryn Baker
Institution: ANU Department of Pacific Affairs
Date: February 25, 2019
File size and type: 1.23 MB
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Being the First: Women Leaders in the Pacific Islands
Women in the Pacific face many barriers women to participating in formal politics. Yet some defy these barriers, are elected to parliament, and achieve high office. This paper describes the experiences of three such women: President Hilda Heine from the Marshall Islands; the Honorable Fiame Naomi Mata’afa from Samoa; and Dame Carol Kidu from Papua New Guinea. It is part of the Developmental Leadership Program Gender and Politics in Practice series.
Author: Ceridwen Spark, John Cox, Jack Corbett
Institution: Developmental Leadership Program
Date: February 22, 2018
File size and type: 1.02 MB
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Experiences of Female Candidates in the 2017 Papua New Guinea General Election
Papua New Guinea went to the polls in June–July 2017 for its ninth general election since independence. Despite a record number of women standing — around five per cent of the total number of candidates — no women were elected in any of the 111 seats. This report draws on discussions from a debrief in Port Moresby in September 2017 with 26 women who contested the election. Participants had contested in all four regions of Papua New Guinea, so the debrief captured a variety of perspectives and experiences. This In Brief highlights some of the key themes that arose from these discussions.
Author: Kerryn Baker
Institution: Australian National University
Date: May 20, 2021
File size and type: 1.10 MB
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Preventing violence against women in elections: A programming guide
This guide focuses on the scourge of violence against women in elections. It identifies specific components of violence against women in elections, including types, tactics, victims and perpetrators, and presents policy and programming options based on current good practices to ensure that women can exercise their political rights.
2017 PNG Sub-National Forum on Women’s Political Participation: Outcomes Statement
The “Sub-National Forum on Women’s Political Participation Across PNG” followed on from the "National Women Candidates Forum" held from 17-18 August 2017. This sub-national meeting, brought together women and men from 20 provinces and the NCD, with a range of government officials, academics, media representatives and development partners. Participants discussed a range of topics of national and sub-national importance, including temporary special measures for women, political party reforms and electoral challenges. We also reflected on the opportunities that women have to engage in sub-national decision-making structures, and the very challenging issue of how to effect cultural change in our communities in support of women’s leadership. Participants agreed this Outcomes Statement at the conclusion of the meeting.
Author: N/A
Institution: Sub-National Women's Forum
Date: May 20, 2021
File size and type: 204.80 KB
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2017 PNG Women Candidates Forum: Outcomes Statement
A National Forum on Women Candidates’ Participation in the 2017 PNG Election was organised by UNDP-PNG on 17 and 18 August 2017. Close to 50 participants attended the Forum, including 6 women candidates who contested the 2017 National Elections. The objective of the Forum was to gather views on how best to address the reality that no women were elected during the June 2017 general elections to sit in the 10th Parliament of PNG. The Forum provided an opportunity for participants to reflect upon the conduct of the recent elections, in order to assess what strategies and approaches worked and did not work so well for women candidates, as well as to propose innovative activities that could be implemented over the coming five years to ensure women’s presence in the national parliament after the 2022 elections. This Outcomes Statement was endorsed by participants as a summary of their most critical recommendations.
Forum on PNG Women Candidates’ Participation in the 2017 General Election
A National Forum on Women Candidates’ Participation in the 2017 PNG Election was organised by UNDP-PNG on 17 and 18 August 2017. The objective of the Forum was to gather views on how best to address the reality that no women were elected during the June 2017 general elections to sit in the 10th Parliament of PNG. The Forum provided an opportunity for participants to reflect upon the conduct of the recent elections, in order to assess what strategies and approaches worked and did not work so well for women candidates, as well as to propose innovative activities that could be implemented over the coming five years to ensure women’s presence in the national parliament after the 2022 elections. This Report captures the discussions and recommendations arising from the Forum.
Author: Mary Fairio & Charmaine Rodrigues
Institution: UNDP / NRI
Date: May 20, 2021
File size and type: 1.32 MB
DownloadPNG 2017 Women Candidates – survey on what worked and what did not
At the June 2017 PNG National Elections, no women were elected to the 10th PNG Parliament. UNDP organised a Forum on Women Candidates’ Participation in the PNG National Elections from 17-18 August to draw attention to the issue of women’s lack of representation and identify strategies for addressing this problem. In advance of the Forum, UNDP and UN Women shared a PNG Women Candidates Survey on Facebook on 15 August 2017 that was intended to assist in diagnosing the challenges women face and finding responses to address them. Links are provided to a word summary of the results of the Survey, as well as an overview Powerpoint Presentation.
Pacific Women in Leadership Synthesis Report
In 2016, the DFAT-funded Pacific Women Shaping Pacific Development Programme commissioned the development of a Roadmap to guide its investments across the region. The Roadmap was based on three Synthesis Reports, which delved deeper into Pacific Women’s first three focus areas, namely: (i) leadership and decision making, (ii) women’s economic empowerment, and (iii) ending violence against women. This Women in Leadership Synthesis Report was developed through a combination of literature review, stakeholder consultations, and in-depth analysis, and supplement the foundational Pacific Women Design Document.
Author: Charmaine Rodrigues & Filomena Tuivanualevu
Institution: DFAT/Pacific Women
Date: March 4, 2017
File size and type: 1.39 MB
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