An Overview of Women in Pacific Island Populations and Politics

Danielle King

BPW Leadership Conference October 25 2012

WOMEN IN THE PACIFIC

COOK ISLANDSPOPULATION: 15,324 (2006)Female Population: 7,667

50%Largest Employer: GOVERNMENT

Type of Government: Bicameral Parliament

Lower House Seats/ Seats held by women: 24/1

Upper House Seats/ Seats held by women: 14/?

Year of Universal Suffrage: 1893 (NZ)

Year of First Woman Elected: 1965

FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA

Largest Employer: GOVERNMENT

Type of Government: Unicameral Congress

Seats/ Seats held by women: 14/0

Year of Universal Suffrage: 1979

Year of First Woman Elected: not yet…

POPULATION: 102,624 (2006)Female Population: 50,456

49%

FIJIPOPULATION: 837,271 (2007)Female Population: 417,344

50%

Largest Employer: GOVERNMENT

Type of Government: Bicameral Parliament (suspended in 2006)

House Seats/ Seats held by women: 71/8 (in 2006)

Senate Seats/ Seats held by women: 32/5 (in 2006)

Year of Universal Suffrage: 1963

Year of First Woman Elected: 1970

FRENCH POLYNESIAPOPULATION: 259,706 (2007)Female Population: 132,882

51%

Largest Employer: GOVERNMENT

Type of Government: Unicameral Territorial Assembly

Seats/ Seats held by women: 57/24

Year of Universal Suffrage: 1945

Year of First Woman Elected: ?

GUAMPOPULATION: 159,358 (2010)

Female Population:

0%Largest Employer: GOVERNMENT, United Airlines

Type of Government: Unicameral Legislature (Liheslaturan Guåhan)

Seats/ Seats held by women: 15/1

Year of Universal Suffrage: 1920 (US)

Year of First Woman Elected: 1981

KIRIBATIPOPULATION: 103,500 (2010)

Female Population:

0%Largest Employer: GOVERNMENT

Type of Government: Unicameral Parliament (Maneaba Ni Maungatabu)

Seats/ Seats held by women: 46/4

Year of Universal Suffrage: 1967

Year of First Woman Elected: 2007

MARSHALL ISLANDS

Largest Employer: GOVERNMENT

Type of Government: Unicameral Legislature (Nitijela)

Seats/ Seats held by women: 33/1

Year of Universal Suffrage: 1979

Year of First Woman Elected: 1993

POPULATION: 50,840 (1999)Female Population: 26,771

53%

NAURUPOPULATION: 9,233 (2006)Female Population: 5,010

54%Largest Employers: GOVERNMENT, Nauru Phosphate Company

Type of Government: Unicameral Parliament

Seats/ Seats held by women: 18/0

Year of Universal Suffrage: 1968

Year of First Woman Elected: 1986

NEW CALEDONIA

Largest Employer: Société Le Nickel (nickel mining)

Type of Government: Unicameral Territorial Congress

Seats/ Seats held by women: 54/24

Year of Universal Suffrage: 1945 (FR)

Year of First Woman Elected:

POPULATION: 245,580 (2009)Female Population: 124,619

51%

NIUE

Largest Employer: GOVERNMENT

Type of Government: Unicameral Legislative Assembly

Seats held by women: 20/3

Year of Universal Suffrage: 1893 (NZ)

Year of First Woman Elected: 2008

POPULATION: 1,625 (2006)Female Population: 738

45%

NORTHERNMARIANA ISLANDS

Largest Employer: GOVERNMENT

Type of Government: Bicameral Legislature

House Seats/ Seats held by women: 20/0

Senate Seats/ Seats held by women: 9/0

Year of Universal Suffrage: 1920 (US)

Year of First Woman Elected: ?

POPULATION: 53,883 (2010)Female Population:

0%

PALAU

Largest Employer: GOVERNMENT

Type of Government: Bicameral National Congress (Olbiil Era Kelulau)

House Seats/ Seats held by women: 16/2

Senate Seats/ Seats held by women: 9/2

Year of Universal Suffrage: 1979

Year of First Woman Elected: 1996

POPULATION: 19,907 (2005)Female Population: 9,589

48%

SOLOMONISLANDS

Largest Employer: GOVERNMENT

Type of Government: Unicameral National Parliament

Seats/ Seats held by women: 50/1

Year of Universal Suffrage: 1974

Year of First Woman Elected: 1989

POPULATION: 515,870 (2009)Female Population: 266,676

52%

TOKELAU

Largest Employer: GOVERNMENT

Type of Government: Unicameral General Fono

Seats/ Seats held by women: 20/0

Year of Universal Suffrage: 1893 (NZ)

Year of First Woman Elected: not yet….

POPULATION: 1,466 (2006)Female Population: 730

50%

TONGA

Largest Employer: GOVERNMENT

Type of Government: Unicameral Legislative Assembly (Fale Alea)

Seats/ Seats held by women: 32/1 (appointed)

Year of Universal Suffrage: 1960

Year of First Woman Elected: 2010 - appointed

POPULATION: 103,036 (2011)Female Population: 51,035

50%

TUVALU

Largest Employer: GOVERNMENT

Type of Government: Unicameral Parliament (Fale I Fono)

Seats/ Seats held by women: 15/1

Year of Universal Suffrage: 1967

Year of First Woman Elected: 1989

POPULATION: 9,561 (2002)Female Population: 5,625

59%

VANUATU

Largest Employer: GOVERNMENT

Type of Government: Unicameral Parliament

Seats/ Seats held by women: 52/1

Year of Universal Suffrage: 1980

Year of First Woman Elected: 1987

POPULATION: 234,023 (2009)Female Population: 123,221

53%

WALLIS & FUTUNA

Largest Employer: GOVERNMENT

Type of Government: Unicameral Territorial Assembly

Seats/ Seats held by women: 20/?

Year of Universal Suffrage: 1945 (FR)

Year of First Woman Elected: ?

POPULATION: 13,445 (2008)Female Population: 6,647

49%

American

Samoa*

Cook Isl

ands

Federat

ed State

s of M

icrone

sia Fiji

French

Polynes

iaGuam

*

Kiribati

*

Marshal

l Islan

dsNaur

u

New Cale

donia Niue

Norther

n Mari

ana Isl

ands*

Palau

PNGSam

oa

Solomon

Island

s

Tokelau

Tonga

Tuvalu

Vanuatu

Wallis a

nd Futu

na0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Percent of Total Population

MENWOMEN

%

Population Graph

American

Samoa

Cook Isl

ands

Federat

ed State

s of M

icrone

sia Fiji

French

Polynes

iaGuam

Kiribati

Marshal

l Islan

dsNaur

u

New Cale

donia

Niue

Norther

n Mari

ana Isl

ands

Palau

Papua N

ew Guin

eaSam

oa

Solomon

Island

s

Tokelau

Tonga

Tuvalu

Vanuatu

Wallis a

nd Futu

na -

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Legislative Representation

Men Women

Representation in Government

• Website: Pacific Women in Politics www.pacwip.org/

• Website: Inter-Parliamentary Union www.ipu.org/

• Website: Secretariat of the Pacific Community

Statistics for Development www.spc.int/sdp/

• Website: Nationmaster www.nationmaster.com/

REFERENCES