Why the Pacific region produces women leaders in student politics but not in parliaments

We must reflect and ask ourselves: “If we trust women to lead our students today, why do we fear them leading our nations tomorrow?”

In the humid, bustling common areas of the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG), the premier university of the Pacific, I stood as a young woman commanding a crowd of hundreds from diverse backgrounds. I was not just speaking; I was articulating a vision for student welfare and national development that cut through the noise of corruption, culturally ingrained mindsets, and the repeated systems that constitute a disease affecting our people.

In that moment, I felt like a confident and capable leader until I was hit by a sad reality that broke my confidence as a female and had me question my passion for leadership in my future endeavors the very moment I stepped my foot in the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea (PNG) - the largest Island Nation in the Pacific and the world at large home to thousand tribes, diverse cultures and more than 800 languages.

This experience reflects what can be described as the “Pacific Paradox”: our universities are laboratories for female leadership, but our national parliaments remain guarded fortresses of patriarchal political culture.

My visit to PNG’s National Parliament should have inspired hope, but instead, it revealed a gap that demands urgent attention. I expected to witness leadership in action, but instead, I was confronted with a silence that spoke volumes. In 15th of December 2025 after contesting for 2026 UPNG Female Vice Presidential seat, I was selected as one of the top 60 successful Youth applicants among 430 applicants across PNG for an annual event known as the PNG National Mock Youth Parliament Program (NMYPP) - a weeklong event fully sponsored by international institution such as United Nation Population Fund (UNFPA), European Union (EU), United Nation Development Program (UNDP), and United Nations Human Rights in partnership with National institutions like PNG National Youth Development Authority (NYDA), National Capital District (NCD) Commission, and PNG National Parliament.

It was an eye-opening experience and a wake-up call for me during our tour of the PNG National Parliament as a female student, exclusively involved in student politics, pursuing my passion for leadership. Many thoughts and questions ran through my mind as I studied the building structures, artifacts, the hidden meaning behind the symbols, the number of seats, and the elected members of parliament who represent us as the voice of our people in PNG.

It was a sad reality check for me to learn that, out of 118 seats in Parliament, only 3 were represented by women. I sat there hopelessly imagining my future fast-forward some years later, working a quiet desk job with my political ambition discouraged by a reality I did not face on the school campus, while my male peers were contesting provincial seats with massive war chests. The near absence of women in the space meant to represent us all forced me to question the true inclusivity of our nation’s leadership and whose voices are truly being heard when women (half of the population) are underrepresented.

Student politics to national governance

The transition from student politics to national governance is a broken bridge. Across the Pacific region, Women remain significantly underrepresented in political leadership. According to UN Women, women hold less than 8% of parliamentary seats across the Pacific, the lowest regional average globally. Pacific countries are grouped into three main regions - Melanesia (Black Islands such as PNG, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Fiji), Micronesia (small Islands including Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, Marshall Islands, Nauru and Kiribati) and Polynesia (many Islands namely Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Cook Islands and Niue) because of our geography, culture, language and history.

In PNG, the situation is even more concerning: as of early 2026, only 3 women sit in a 118-member parliament. Since PNG’s national independence day on 16 September 1975, only 10 women have been elected to parliament. This represents our current average for women’s representation at 2.7%, which is far below even the Pacific region’s already low average of 8-9%, placing PNG among the countries with the lowest representation of women globally.

While countries like Fiji and Samoa have made progress, the broader region, including Vanuatu and Tuvalu, continues to struggle with near-zero or single-digit representation, with the overall trend reflecting persistent gender inequality in political leadership. This suggests that while the Pacific accepts women as student leaders in academic settings, it rejects them as legislative authorities in the national arena.

Thus, the gap between student leadership and national governance raises an important question: “Why does this disparity exist?” The answer lies in the merit-based environments rather than the culture-based “Big Man” politics. In student politics, leadership is often judged on communication skills, ideas, competence, policy, and the ability to unite diverse student bodies. However, national elections in PNG and the wider Pacific are governed by the “Gift Economy” and deeply rooted Patriarchal norms, traditional beliefs, or mindsets that often position men as natural leaders, while women are expected to take on supportive or domestic roles. These perceptions influence public attitudes and voting behavior, making it difficult for women candidates to gain trust and support.

Women also face other underlying factors or barriers, such as financial limitations, political violence, intimidation, harassment, and lack of institutional support. On the school campus, debate is regulated, while in national elections, women face psychological and physical violence. A 2025 study found that over 75% of female politicians in the Asia-Pacific reported experiencing psychological abuse. Also, national general elections campaigns require immense capital for gift giving, “mumu” feasts, compensation, and logistics—resources women rarely control compared to their male counterparts. Moreover, the Student leadership is often seen as a “learning phase”, but national leadership is viewed as a “customary” domain for men. These challenges create an uneven playing field, limiting women’s participation in national politics.

Beyond student politics

The issue is not about women’s lack of ability to lead, but rather the structural barriers, cultural expectations, patriarchal systems, lack of resources, trust, and financial support for women. Student leadership provides the skills but fails to offer the institutional support or a safety net pipeline needed for women to transition from student politics into the “real world”. Addressing these challenges requires collective effort from government, institutions, communities, and individuals to challenge existing norms, thereby creating opportunities and conducive environments where women can thrive as leaders.

Also, to change this, the Pacific region must move beyond Temporary Special Measures (TSMs) and implement them by reserving seats for women in Parliament to bridge the gap between the school campus lecture hall and the floor of Parliament, enabling women to equally participate in national decision-making processes and politics.

We also need to start asking questions like: “Is student leadership a pipeline or a ceiling?” We must reflect and ask ourselves: “If we trust women to lead our students today, why do we fear them leading our nations tomorrow?” Ultimately, true representation in parliament should reflect the nation it serves. Until women are equally represented, the question remains—whose voices are truly being heard in our national parliaments?

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This is an externally contributed piece. If you have additional context, a different take, or a perspective we’ve missed — whether you’re a researcher, policymaker, or practitioner — this is an evolving story and we’d like to hear from you. Drop a comment below or get in touch.

About Alice Francis

Alice Francis is a final-year Business Management student at University of Papua New Guinea, driven by leadership, gender advocacy, and empowering Pacific youth. She has held key roles including SBPP Female Representative, BMSU Vice President, and Welfare and Gender Officer for the Komo Mt. Sisa Nationwide Tertiary Student Association. Alongside her leadership journey, she contributes to youth career development through PNG Career Development Inc.