Gender Equality and Economic Empowerment in the Solomon Islands and Fiji: a Place-based Approach

K. McKinnon, M. Carnegie, K. Gibson and C. Rowland

The economic empowerment of women is emerging as a core focus of both economic
development and gender equality programs internationally. At the same time there is
increasing importance placed on measuring outcomes and quantifying progress towards
gender and development goals. These trends raise significant questions around how well
gender differences are understood, especially in economies dominated by the informal sector
and characterised by a highly gendered division of labour, as is the case in many Pacific
countries. How well do existing international and national indicators of gender equality
reflect the experiences and aspirations of Pacific women and men? What do concepts such as
gender equality and economic empowerment mean in this geographical context? How might
local attitudes and practices be identified and measured? In this paper we draw on
Boaventura De Sousa Santos’ call to recognise and value knowledges of the majority world
that have been rendered either largely invisible or non-credible by mainstream development
and human rights policy agendas. Reflecting on an action research project conducted with
partner organisations in Fiji and the Solomon islands, we explore a more nuanced place-based
approach to understanding and measuring gender equality and economic
empowerment. This approach takes account of diverse economic practices, such as non-market
transactions, and forms of non-cash exchange and unpaid labour, and recognises the
imbalance in women’s and men’s household and care work.

Suggested citation

K. McKinnon, M. Carnegie, K. Gibson and C. Rowland, 2016 “Gender Equality and Economic Empowerment in the Solomon Islands and Fiji: a Place-based Approach” Gender, Place and Culture 23, 6:1376-1391.