Book review : Pacific women in politics : Gender quota campaigns in the Pacific Islands

Abstract

Gender balance in politics has been a longstanding issue that has attracted considerable scholarly attention over recent decades. Well-documented barriers include gendered stereotyping, traditional attitudes and economic constraints that preclude women’s representation in parliament on an equal footing to men. This is also the case in the Pacific, which has amongst the lowest representation of women in politics in the world. Indeed, Pacific states – including Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Vanuatu – currently have no women in parliament. In order to address this several Pacific Island states have made headway by implementing quotas designed to increase the number of female MPs. These temporary special measures have been contentious. Kerryn Baker’s new book seeks to document and explain the politics behind these recent interventions. When women are so under-represented in Pacific parliaments, how do political actors make sense of attempts to alter this imbalance? This question is asked at the outset of this book which seeks to highlight the goals, pressures and dilemmas of gender quota campaigns. The book presents the steps taken recently towards gender quotas in selected Pacific Island states and territories: Bougainville, New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna, PNG and Samoa. [excerpt from the review]