Port Moresby
Prime Minister Julia Gillard today announced Australia would work with the PNG business community to enhance the status of women in workplaces in Papua New Guinea.
Australia will work with the private sector to increase the number of women leaders in business and to develop better policies and practices to enable women to succeed at work.
Surveys on formal employment in PNG show that men are almost twice as likely as women to work for wages - 40 per cent of men compared to 24 per cent of women nationally. Women in formal sector jobs in PNG report average wages which are less than half that of men.
The focus is on supporting female employees with high potential into positions of leadership through mentoring, networking and training.
The initiative will also support businesses to implement workplace policies which address the very important issue of violence against women.
Employers in PNG understand that tapping into the full potential of women isn't just the right thing to do, it's the smart thing to do.
Nations and companies alike thrive when women can participate in politics, business and society as equals.
The business community is at the forefront of this initiative - led by two of Papua New Guinea's peak business bodies, the Papua New Guinea Business Council and the Port Moresby Chamber of Commerce.
Lady Winifred Kamit, a highly respected member of the business community and advocate for women, is the patron of the initiative, which will be managed by the private sector arm of the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation.
Australia will contribute $1 million over five years to the initiative through the aid program. This is part of the Pacific Women Shaping Pacific Development initiative, announced by the Prime Minister at the 2012 Pacific Islands Forum.