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Women MPs in Samoa and Kiribati
This short paper looks at the example of women parliamentarians in Kiribati and Samoa to identify common characteristics of women who have been successful at being elected:... -
Reaching into the Bilum Motherhood as a Source of Women’s Power in Papua New Guinea
In Papua New Guinea, it is primarily through being ‘good’ wives, mothers and household managers that women become valued. This situation can leave young women and those who do... -
Sorcery and Witchcraft in Papua New Guinea: Problems in Definition
This short paper looks at how the terms ‘sorcery’ and ‘witchcraft’ are frequently fused or used interchangeably, and are rarely conceptually distinguished. This blurring of the... -
Witchcraft and Sorcery Related Killings in Melanesia: The Legal Issues
This short paper identifies four central insights from a legal positive perspective into killings related to sorcery and witchcraft accusations: The belief in sorcery and... -
Violence Against Women in PNG: How Men Are Getting Away With Murder
The women of Papua New Guinea endure some of the most extreme levels of violence in the world. They continue to be attacked with impunity despite their government’s promises of... -
Women’s Representation and the Question of Temporary Special Measures in Tuvalu
Only two women have been elected to parliament (currently made up of 15 members) in Tuvalu since independence in 1978. With some exceptions, since the 1997 Falekaupule Act the... -
‘A Woman Should Be Beaten If She Deserves Punishment’: Conversations with...
Among the consequences of conflict over gender roles or norms, the most disempowering one is violence against women. As part of the World Bank’s qualitative study informing the... -
Women’s Representation and the Use of Reserved Seats in Bougainville
The Autonomous Region of Bougainville introduced the Pacific’s first parliamentary reserved seats for women system in 2004. While the system guarantees a minimum level of... -
Do No Harm: The Relationship between VAW and Women’s Economic Empowerment in...
Even as the importance of women’s economic inclusion and empowerment is acknowledged and acted on, it is also known that such gains are not without risk; for increasing command... -
Gendered Priorities to Move out of Poverty Findings from Fiji: Part 2
Poverty profiles presented in Fiji emphasise income, consumption and expenditure characteristics that are often associated with poverty measurement at a household level.... -
‘What Is Mine Is Yours’: Women’s Asset Control and Decision-Making in Fiji and PNG
This short paper draws on narratives from communities who participated in research in Fiji and Papua New Guinea. The findings suggest that strong gender norms may constrain... -
Preventing Violence at Home, Allowing Violence in the Workplace: A Case...
This short paper draws on the views shared by security guards who participated in discussion groups as part of a larger research project that explores how men interpret and... -
Developing Young Women’s Collective Action in Vanuatu
This short paper reflects on the experiences of 38 young, educated women in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. It finds that: Young women in Melanesia are subject to... -
New Draft National Action Plan to Address Sorcery Accusation-Related Violence in PNG
In 2013, widespread publicity given to the deaths of two women accused of witchcraft in Papua New Guinea drew international and national attention to the problem of sorcery and... -
Poverty Measurement: What’s Gender Got to do with it? Findings from Fiji: Part 1
This short paper reports on planned research in Fiji, the first country in the Pacific to pilot a measure of poverty at an individual level from a gender perspective. Pacific... -
Home-Brewed Alcohol, Gender and Violence in the West Papuan Highlands
The production and consumption of home-brew in the highlands is adding a dangerous ingredient to already volatile ethnic, gendered, and political conditions. While scholars have... -
Witch hunts in Papua New Guinea’s Eastern Highlands Province: A Fieldwork Report
The issue of sorcery and witchcraft-related accusations and violence in Papua New Guinea is receiving increasing attention domestically and internationally. A growing body of... -
Emerging Women Leaders in Solomon Islands: The Aims and Activities of the...
This research shows that the young women who are part of the Young Women's Parliamentary Group are working to advance women’s participation and leadership in a range of ways in... -
Measuring Poverty As If Gender Matters: Perspectives from Fieldwork in Fiji
This research project was aimed at synthesising and integrating various experiences and perspectives on poverty held both by poor women and men and by professional poverty... -
Papuan Perspectives on Family Planning, Fertility and Birth Control
Papuan perspectives on family planning have historically emphasised political concerns that reflect the tensions between the Indonesian state and indigenous rights – Papuans...
