Women’s Political Participation in Government Structures in Bougainville and the Motu Koita Assembly

Please note that this is a hybrid event. For online attendance please sign up to obtain the Zoom link. Access link will be delivered via email one day prior to the event. Registrations will close on Wednesday 28 February, 9:00 am AEDT.

Women’s political representation in the Pacific has garnered much interest from researchers, international non-governmental and governmental organisations and civil society groups due to the low rates of female representation in national and sub-national politics. This seminar will introduce proposed research that will explore this issue in depth with a focus on Papua New Guinea. To better understand how women participate in political processes, this research will investigate two case studies, which include the Autonomous Region of Bougainville and the Motu Koita Assembly.

A parliament with low gender representation does not necessarily mean women are not active participants in politics. Often, a concentrated and sometimes biased focus is given to women’s political representation in parliaments, hence deeming as insignificant other important ways women participate in politics. The participation of women in politics is not one dimensional, rather the researcher argues that relegating women’s politicking and participation to ‘women only issues’ presents a restrictive view of the many other ways women are essential, valuable and influential in their immediate communities. Women are concerned with far more issues than just issues that impact gender.

Geejay Milli is a PhD student at the Department of Pacific Affairs from Papua New Guinea. Her research looks at the case studies of Bougainville and the Motu Koita Assembly with a focus on the participation of women in the political process. Her research area of interests includes politics and elections in Papua New Guinea, women's political participation and representation and the implementation of gender quotas in the Pacific. Prior to her studies, Geejay was teaching at the University of Papua New Guinea with the Political Science Department.