Women’s Organizations, Voluntarism, and Self-Financing in Solomon Islands: a Participant Perspective

AUTHOR(S)
Alice Aruhe'eta Pollard
Development

Arguing that the capacity to organize is not foreign to Solomon Islands women, this paper demonstrates their resourcefulness, resilience, and significant but neglected national potential by focusing on a key domain of women’s practice and management expertise – women’s groups, organizations, and associations, most of which are church-based, and government programs or projects directed to women. The paper surveys the establishment and operation of different categories of women’s groupings before and since independence in 1978. It highlights the commitment to voluntarism and self-financing that has enabled many groups and organizations to function and even flourish despite recent armed conflict and the resultant near collapse of the economy and the state, especially in the capital, Honiara. It exemplifies the priority shift which has seen many women and their organizations supplement the traditional concerns of home economics, health, education, and community service with overt attention to questions of economic development, political participation, and human rights. The paper concludes by considering the problems facing women’s groupings in Solomon Islands, including those generated by women’s own attitudes and behaviour as well as gendered and other external constraints.

Downloads
There are no downloads available
Research Type(s)
Journal Article
Submitted by Almah Tararia
March 29, 2022
Published in
2015
SHARE

Leave a comment

Leave a Reply

What are you looking for?

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website.

Filter by Categories

Sort by Categories

Filter by Year

Sort by Year

Filter by Review Status

Sort by Review

Filter by Country

Sort Country Popup