Pacific Gender Dynamics
Srikar Devulapalli
This dashboard illuminates progress and challenges in achieving one of the Sustainable Development goals— ”Gender Equality” across Pacific nations, focusing on education, employment, national policy involvement, and economic sectors.
It also delves into persistent issues, highlighting the need for enhanced support and resources to tackle gender disparities effectively.
“Balanced Ages, Uneven Longevity”
Overall Sex-Ratio
Gender Distribution across Age Brackets
:
100
104
Life Expectancy
- Female Life Expectancy is higher across all territories
- French Polynesia and New Caledonia exhibit the highest life expectancies for both genders, with females reaching up to 79 years and males up to 74 years
- In Niue, there is a noticeable gap where females live up to 78 years and males 71 years.
Gender distribution is relatively balanced, with a slight predominance of females in the 25-39 age brackets.
Younger Age Groups (0-24 years): More males than females, aligning with typical demographic patterns of higher male birth rates.
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“Classroom to Campus: A Shift Towards Female Dominance”
Primary Education
100
GIRLS for 1oo BOYS
TERTIARY Education
140
GIRLS for 1oo BOYS
SECONDARy Education
110
GIRLS for 1oo BOYS
Shows a trend towards higher female enrollment in secondary education.
Indicates progressive societal shifts and educational policies that favor women's higher education.
Indicates excellent gender parity across most regions.
Girls vs Boys across Education Levels
Paradigm Shift in Education
Primary education in Nauru and Palau shows fewer than 100 girls per 100 boys, while tertiary levels exceed 200 girls per 100 boys, reflecting effective strategies that enhance female higher education.
Most Challenging Region
Papua New Guinea with a gender ratio of 91 Girls for every 100 Boys for Primary education, indicating a noticeable gap where boys outnumber girls.
“Higher Education, Not Always Higher Employment”
Employment-to-Population(%): Men vs Women
In Papua New Guinea, despite educational gap with 91 girls for every 100 boys in primary education, employment rates for women and men are nearly equal at 59.4% and 59.7%, respectively. This highlights a critical need to boost female educational access to support continued employment parity.
Employment rates for women lag significantly behind men, indicating that educational gains are not fully translating into workforce equality.
PRIMARY EDUCATION
EMPLOYMENT
SECONDARY EDUCATION
TERTIARY EDUCATION
Despite higher educational attainments, women generally show lower employment-to-population ratios.
“The employment gap narrows with time”
In the year 2012, the proportion of males was significantly higher than that of females . This gap narrows noticeably by 2021
Gender Distribution across Cumulative Employed Popluation
Gender Pay Gap
is defined as the ratio of the gross earnings between women and men
A value greater than 1 in the context of the gender pay gap ratio, where the ratio is defined as the gross earnings of women compared to men, indicates that women earn more than men on average.
Occupation & Economic Sector
Women notably outnumber men in Service & Sales, Clerical Support roles
Women dominate in Wholesale & Retail Trade, Manufacturing and Education sectors
Employed Population by Occupation
Employed Population by Economic Sector
Violence Against Women
To analyze violence frequency in Pacific Island Countries, data is categorized into five buckets based on incident rates:
- Low (0-20%): Minimal incidents, possible underreporting.
- Moderate (21-40%): Moderate levels, potential risk factors.
- High (41-60%): Significant incidents, urgent intervention needed.
- Very High (61-80%): Very high levels, comprehensive action required.
- Extreme (81-100%): Critical levels, immediate and sustained measures necessary.
Very High and Extremely Frequent Violence was observed in Kiribati, Tonga and Papua New Guinea. Reported 6 times across these regions
Very HIGH AnD EXTREME VIOLENCE
6
INSTANCES
MARSHALL ISLANDS
108
LOW SEVERITY INSTANCES
Marshall Islands have observed 108 low risk instances in terms of violence. This could be a potential future risk
Frequency of Violence against Women across Regions
Majority of perpertrators are partners
Perpetrators across Violence Instances
Violence Type by Number of persons in relative frequency
Acts like being Insulted (24.09 frequency) and Partner Insists on Knowing Where She Is At All Times (50.28 frequency) illustrate the controlling behaviors often present in abusive relationships.
Physical acts such as being Pushed or Shoved (21.01 frequency) and Hit with a Fist or Something Else (20.81 frequency) are common, reflecting the physical danger to victims.
Pathway to Gender Equality
PROPORTION SEATS IN PARLIAMENT BY WOMEN
>50%
IN FRENCH POLYNESIA, NEW CALEDONIA
WOMEN in MANAGERIAL POSITIONS
80%
IN KIRIBATI
WOMEN in SENIOR AND MIDDLE MANAGERIAL POSITIONS
>35%
IN FIJI, KIRIBATI
Women in managerial positions
Women in senior and middle management positions
The data illustrates notable progress towards gender equality in Pacific Island nations, with some regions like French Polynesia and Kiribati demonstrating significant female representation in governance and managerial roles.
To achieve widespread gender equality, regions should emulate successful policies and cultural practices, emphasizing legislative support and professional development for women.