Independent states in the Pacific region have the lower levels of the political representation of women in the world. Less than 7% of Pacific politicians are women, compared to 27% globally. The absence of women’s voices in political decision-making has existed rises consistently in regional forums, although progress has been slow. However, in November 2022, a milestone was reached: for the first time, there was at least one elected woman in every Pacific parliament.
This seems to validate a common ‘give it time’ sentiment – that women’s political representation in the Pacific is set to gradually increase. However, the reality is that progress is not guaranteed, and setbacks are common. Elections last year in the region’s two largest states, Papua New Guinea and Fiji, clearly demonstrate this.
In PNG’s 2022 national election, of the 3,619 candidates who ran, only 159 were women (4%). Two women were voted in—Rufina Peter and Kessy Sawang. Their victories came after five years without a woman in PNG’s parliament (2017–2022). Both Peter and Sawang were highly competitive candidates who had run in 2017 and performed wellboth ranked third in their respective constituencies (Central Provincial and Rai Coast Open).
As in previous elections, the 2022 elections were fraught with electoral violations and in many constituencies voters faced intimidation and violence. After Peter’s proclamation, Prime Minister James Marape acknowledged the need to improve the electoral system to make it more favorable to women, but at the same time dashed any hope of introducing special measures for women. stating, “Mrs Peter has shown that you can win any election… Yes, we need to make changes to the way we conduct elections, but Ms Peter has set the bar.” This response appears to be a rejection of calls for special measures to ensure women’s representation in politics, a position which has are maintained since he became prime minister in 2019.
Peter and Sawang’s victories were impressive personal achievements and testaments to their individual leadership, credibility and strategic approach to political campaigning. However, the fact remains that PNG’s electoral space is hostile to women. The number of women in parliament today is lower than it was 45 years ago, following the country’s first post-independence elections.
Meanwhile, Fiji’s 2022 general election was significant because it saw the first change of government since a military coup in 2006. Despite some concerns, the transfer of power was peaceful. However, this democratic outcome was accompanied by a significant decline on the number of women in Fiji’s parliament. Women made up just 55 (16%) of the 343 candidates. After the December elections, women’s representation dropped from 10 out of 51 MPs (19.6%) to six out of 55 MPs (10.9%). After Rosy Akbar resigned in February 2023, the number dropped to five (9.1%).
Fiji was often considered as a positive element in terms of women’s representation, with a consistent appearance at the top of the regional league tables. Its strongly institutionalized political party system—relatively unusual in the region—and, since 2014, its proportional representation voting system was shown as beneficial to female candidates. It also has relatively high numbers of women in party leadership and has had female deputy prime ministers and opposition leaders in the past (although no female prime minister has ever been appointed). However, the 2022 election is proof that gains in women’s representation are never guaranteed.
In both the PNG and Fiji general elections, the percentage of female candidates running decreased. This is perhaps not surprising given that candidates in successive elections have expressed frustration with the process. In PNG, women candidates to 2017 and 2022 claimed that fraud and manipulation, along with problems with the electoral administration, hurt their electoral chances. In Fiji, women candidates opposite multiple elections have reported severe online harassment. Recent study highlighted how violence against women in politics affected women’s political participation and aspiration in Pacific Island countries, including PNG and Fiji. This is another sign that incremental increases—either in the number of women elected or in the number of women participating in elections—are far from guaranteed.
Both Marape and prime minister Sitiveni Rabuka of Fiji have recognized the issue of women’s under-representation in politics. But what is the solution? Institutional measures such as gender quotas are one option and have been successful in increasing the number of women elected to parliaments around the world. However, such measures are not often used in the Pacific and have been submitted Impact and handling. Neither the Fijian nor PNG governments have shown much enthusiasm for introducing parliamentary gender quotas.
But quotas are only one option in the political toolbox for increasing women’s representation, and across the region coalitions such as Fiji Women’s Forum and PNG’Vote women for changemovement are developing innovative and local approaches to address the issue. Supporting these efforts is important, as is maintaining pressure on the male-dominated governments of the Pacific region to ensure that women’s under-representation in parliaments does not drop off the political agenda.
It is not enough to sit back and wait for change. The history of women’s political representation in the Pacific region tells us that progress is not guaranteed – it must be constantly guarded and fought for.