Women’s empowerment: Can this be achieved?

A FEW years ago there was an image floating around Papua New Guinea’s social media space that sparked a lot of controversy.

There was a young woman holding a sign that read: “PNG is not safe for women to live in.”

This simple message, which undoubtedly meant no harm, sparked a nationwide debate about the safety and security of women in PNG.

While many agreed, others did not.

Some were upset that such a negative portrayal was being shown to the international community.

Whatever the outcome, the statement reflected the truth about how Papua New Guinean women feel on a daily basis.

Last week, the inaugural three-day National Capital Region (NCD) Women’s Summit and Expo was held in Port Moresby.

The event brought together stakeholders from both the public and private sectors, including the diplomatic community, to discuss issues that need Government support to address in the nation’s capital.

NCD Governor Powes Parkop, who has been a staunch supporter of women’s empowerment for years, stated that gender equality and women’s empowerment are a measure of PNG’s progress.

Parkop said if there was one yardstick to measure the city’s and PNG’s progress, it was the country’s global gender equality and women’s empowerment rankings.

However, Papua New Guinea ranked 160th out of 161 countries in the United Nations Development Programme’s 2021 Gender Gap Index.

This highlights that progress towards gender equality in the country was and still is slow.

Parkop admitted that women and girls continue to be subjected to intimidation, fear and violence in public and in the workplace.

“Women and girls are equal citizens and have equal rights to benefit from their country’s resources and opportunities, to services, development and to live a life free from fear, intimidation, oppression and violence in both private and public spaces,” she said.

We can only agree with the good governor.

So, although these summits and fairs are well-intentioned, do they really deliver tangible change for women and girls in the country?

None of what the country’s leaders say is new.

Much of PNG does not fully cater to women’s needs, particularly due to cultural norms and modern-day practices.

The vast majority of cultures across the country are patrilineal in nature; This means that the social system has lineage and inheritance through the male line.

This means that family ties and property are passed from father to son.

This structure often emphasizes the role of men as heads of households and can influence social organization, marriage practices, and political authority.

This is also evident in the country’s national parliament, where the majority of seats are occupied by men and there is little or no political representation of women.

Too often, women and girls are an afterthought in important decisions.

It is widely known that they are also subjected to harsh treatment across the country, causing many to feel unsafe and unable to carry out their daily activities.

Activities that need to be done without much thought, such as visiting the market, using public transport, or walking home, often need careful calculation because one wrong move can mean the difference between life and death.

One of the most common examples is when a woman plans to take a public bus to a location of her choice in the city.

He has to calculate everything: from holding the coins tightly in his hand so as not to make noise, to attracting unnecessary attention.

Her phone needs to be hidden in her bra, not her purse, in case some opportunist decides to snip her purse while boarding the bus.

He also has to pay attention to his surroundings and the people on the bus, as he never knows if he will be taken advantage of.

There are many other similar scenarios that many women in the country experience every day.

It has become a part of life, a new and unfortunate normal.

These events are not unique to women, as men also experience such experiences in their daily activities, but also not to the extent that many women do.

It goes without saying that we still have a long way to go to improve the livelihoods of women in PNG.

Women’s issues were often left to be addressed solely by women.

Women are leading movements and rallies across the country on issues such as gender-based violence.

If women’s empowerment, which means the liberation of women from the vicious grip of social, economic, political, caste and gender-based discrimination, is to be achieved in PNG, there needs to be greater collaborative participation from every member of our society.

We leave you with a question: On the eve of the 50th anniversary of the country’s independence, can we honestly say that all Papua New Guinean women are truly empowered?