At the opening of the 2014 State of the Pacific Conference organised by the State, Society and Governance in Melanesia Program, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop noted the Australian Government’s commitment to expanding the Seasonal Worker Program (SWP) and the contribution that labour mobility could make to development in the Pacific. In the minister’s words, ‘some seasonal workers have earned up to $12,000 in Australia, and have been able to remit about $6,000 over a six month placement, the scheme is having flow-on benefits.
Within the spheres of politics, the bureaucracy, and civil society, this paper examines the literature in relation to: obstacles to women’s participation, success factors, outcomes, and policy and donor approaches to supporting women’s participation. The paper also highlights research gaps, and compares the Pacific experience with broader findings on women’s participation in decision making.
Addressing the multiple dimensions of gender inequality requires commitments by policy-makers, practitioners and scholars to transformative practices. One challenge is to assemble a coherent conceptual framework from diverse knowledges and experiences. This article contains a framework that emerged from the authors’ involvement in changing market culture in the Pacific, which they name the ‘radical empowerment of women approach’.
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 over financial resources can expose women to domestic conflict and violence.
This mapping paper includes examples of efforts by the private sector in the Pacific to address violence against women and provides examples of how States can begin to calculate the costs of violence to a nation’s economy. While there are some great examples of private sector initiatives, there is little information available on the successes and impacts of these initiatives.
This mapping paper examines the environment for women’s leadership in the Pacific. It looks at the key international and regional gender equality instruments, domestic laws, regulations and policies and development programming. These cover:
- Women’s leadership in politics and government.
- Women in the civil service and on boards.
- Women’s leadership for economic empowerment.
- Women’s leadership to improve women’s and children’s safety.
- Leadership and young women.
Lessons learned are:
This report considers each of the key areas of discrimination and disadvantage. Key interrelationships between the various challenges are discussed to illustrate the complexity of the issues they face.
There are limited laws, policies and programs in the Pacific for women and girls with disabilities.
This paper encourages a more targeted focus on women’s economic empowerment through private sector development partnerships, not least through a greater mutual allocation of funds, and design effort.
The findings suggest that the ECF has contributed both to women’s economic advancement and perhaps to a lesser extent, to women’s power and agency.
ECF has increased women’s access to employment, training and income, and access to markets, and supported women-owned enterprises to expand their businesses. Specific initiatives that have affected women include:
From Participation to Power: Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) in the Pacific – addressing the shortfall of many WEE initiatives to meaningfully address women’s empowerment and provides recommendations and practical actions to strengthen empowerment outcomes of WEE programming.
Small Grants, Big Results – highlighting the catalytic role of community-based and women’s organisations to women’s empowerment and social change, this Practice Note provides an evidence-base of successful small-granting approaches and strong partnerships, to influence funders to expand small granting programs.
The Pacific Women final report features stories highlighting the voices and key achievements of Pacific women and men across the 14 countries supported by Pacific Women Shaping Pacific Development (Pacific Women). The impacts of initiatives supported by Pacific Women are diverse, spanning across the program’s four outcomes of Leadership and Decision Making; Economic Empowerment; Ending Violence against Women; and Enhancing Agency. The Final Report includes data and impacts achieved over the life of the program, since it began in 2012
The Pacific Women Highlights booklet provides a snapshot view of key achievements of Pacific women and men across the 14 countries supported by Pacific Women. Pacific Women has reached an estimated 1.45 million Pacific women, men and children since 2012, through partnerships with Pacific organisations and gender equality advocates. The Highlights booklet includes data and impacts achieved over the life of the program, since it began in 2012.
The Pacific Women Support Unit welcomed partners, supporters and friends to its Pacific Women Close Out event. The event served as a celebration of nearly 10 years of partnership through the Pacific Women program, while also disseminating lessons learned from partners’ initiatives to inform future gender equality programming that is effective and transformative. Additionally, it was a welcome to the Pacific Women Lead program.
Hear from women and men in the Pacific share their view of the future of gender equality in the Pacific, including the challenges ahead. Members of the Pacific Women Advisory Board reflect on the its contribution over the first half of the 10-year commitment.
The Pacific Women Advisory Board provides advice on the strategic direction of Pacific Women, assists in connecting the program with other influential leaders in the Pacific and advocates to support gender equality in the Pacific.
Hear from women and men in the Pacific underscoring the need for continuous momentum of moving from push of adopting to implementing family protection laws. Members of the Pacific Women Advisory Board reflect on the its contribution over the first half of the 10-year commitment.
The Pacific Women Advisory Board provides advice on the strategic direction of Pacific Women, assists in connecting the program with other influential leaders in the Pacific and advocates to support gender equality in the Pacific.
Hear from women and men in the Pacific highlight the importance of reflecting diversity in all areas of development. This includes meeting the needs of people with disabilities. Members of the Pacific Women Advisory Board reflect on the its contribution over the first half of the 10-year commitment.
The Pacific Women Advisory Board provides advice on the strategic direction of Pacific Women, assists in connecting the program with other influential leaders in the Pacific and advocates to support gender equality in the Pacific.
Hear from women in the Pacific explaining the benefits of gender equality interventions that are tailormade in, and for, the region. Members of the Pacific Women Advisory Board reflect on the its contribution over the first half of the 10-year commitment.
The Pacific Women Advisory Board provides advice on the strategic direction of Pacific Women, assists in connecting the program with other influential leaders in the Pacific and advocates to support gender equality in the Pacific.
Her Excellency Hilda Heine, President of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (Office of the President, Republic of the Marshall Islands), shared some welcome remarks via video for the Pacific Women Regional Learning Forum on Women's Economic Empowerment
Produced for the Pacific Women Regional Learning Forum on Women's Economic Empowerment, 'Working For Change' set the scene for three days of discussion. The seven-minute video highlights a range of women's experiences of economic empowerment programs.
Interviewees share some achievements of their organisations, supported by Pacific Women, reflect on progress since 2012 and share their visions for the future.
This video is part of a broader initiative to capture the expanse of experience, lessons learned and groundbreaking gender transformative approaches under Pacific Women, a series of knowledge products have been developed. This knowledge will guide future gender equality initiatives through Pacific Women Lead.