Women’s Empowerment in Papua New Guinea: Demographic, Psychological, and Sociocultural Correlates of Autonomy and Participation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64391/ijssat.v2i2.003Keywords:
women’s empowerment, traditional gender norms, family support, education, Papua New GuineaAbstract
This study examines demographic, psychological, sociocultural, and structural correlates of women’s empowerment in Papua New Guinea, drawing on a secondary analysis of cross-sectional survey data from 385 women across four provinces (Madang, Eastern Highlands, Morobe, and East New Britain). Empowerment was operationalised as an achievement-level composite of decision-making autonomy and behavioural participation; psychological resources (confidence, self-efficacy) and contextual factors were treated as predictors that share no items with the outcome, avoiding part–whole confounding. Five research questions addressed empowerment variation, psychological correlates of participation, the role of traditional gender norms, multivariable predictors, and interaction effects. Empowerment differed by location, education, and employment status. Confidence and self-efficacy were associated with greater civic and economic participation, and confidence was associated with substantially higher odds of holding a leadership role. Adherence to traditional gender norms was negatively related to empowerment, but family support buffered this association, approximately halving its magnitude. In a hierarchical regression, education, family support, and self-efficacy were the strongest correlates, with the full model accounting for 58% of the variance in the composite. A significant education–employment interaction indicated a steeper educational gradient among employed women. Because the design is cross-sectional and the sample is not a probability sample of all Papua New Guinean women, findings are interpreted as associations and as hypotheses for confirmatory and longitudinal research. The results are consistent with an ecological model and point to potential intervention targets, including education, formal employment pathways, and family-based support.
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