The implementation of the women’s policy has thus suffered from a number of inconsistencies. First it is part of a sector that continues to be marginalized. Personnel changes at the political and bureaucratic levels have meant changes in policy, implementation, priorities, and emphasis. In particular, the constant reorganization of the bureaucratic structure has brought confusion, frustration and low staff morale, and diminishing state resources have worsened the situation. This has forced the Women’s Division to rely on donor-funded projects, but donor assistance, especially that from multilateral institutions, comes with strings, which restrict the Division’s ability to implement its own programs.

Women’s policy underwent an internal review in 1999, but a planned external review has yet to take place. What is needed is a new policy that takes into consideration all the structural and functional changes that have occurred in the last ten years. A new policy needs to address gender mainstreaming in a more realistic manner within the state apparatus, extending down to provincial and local-level government. Coordination of government and non-government machinery, separate from social welfare, is well overdue. Policymakers and women’s civil society groups need to strategize the relationship of Papua New Guinea women with the state, such that female citizens, regardless of class, ethnicity, religion and locality, begin to experience real changes in their lives.