Some results of our work for the Asian Development Bank using the 2009-2010 HIES. Presented at the 2015 ASSA/AEA Annual Meeting in Boston.

1. PROMOTING EVIDENCE-BASED POLICY MAKING
FOR GENDER EQUALITY IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA
HOUSEHOLD INCOME AND EXPENDITURE SURVEY 2009-2010
Dr. Alice Louise Kassens
Roanoke College
Prepared for the 2015 ASSA/AEA Annual
Meeting

2. PAPUA NEW GUINEA
 86% of population lives in rural sector
 Diverse geographically (islands, coastal,
mountains)
 Over 850 languages
 Transportation limited by mountainous terrain;
many walk to market, health care (travel for
women can be dangerous)
 12% of households are female-headed, which
are smaller than male-headed (5.5 vs. 6.6
persons), less educated, fewer earning
prospects
 Liquefied natural gas from the Highlands a
potential export (Australia)
 RGDP growth 5.6% in 2013 (World Bank)

3. HOUSEHOLD INCOME AND EXPENDITURE SURVEY
 Sample = 22,718 individuals, 4,081
households; some areas inaccessible
 Face-to-face interviews
 Several sections of questionnaire
1. Head of household only
2. All adults in HH (15 yrs. of age or older)
3. Subsample of adults
 Weighted means
 Follow-up to previous survey
Papua New Guinea's capital, Port Moresby. Photograph: Rocky Roe/AFP/Getty Images

4. ISSUES TO ADDRESS FOR ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK
 Explore how men and women differ in a
variety of measures of socioeconomic status
and well-being
 Wide range by region, urban-status, gender
of head of household
 Inequalities by gender and wealth impact
1. Ability to care for families
2. Macroeconomic development
 This presentation addresses two areas
1. Health
2. Disputes and violence Source: Child Fund Australia

5. COMMUNICABLE DISEASES
 Malaria most cited illness in the past thirty
days, particularly amongst the youngest
and oldest female adult age groups.
 Highest incidence of malaria was reported
in the Southern, Island, and Momase
Regions while the lowest incidence was
reported in the Highlands
 The only gender differential was in the Island
Region where males reported substantially
higher incidence than women.
 Public hospitals are the most common locus
of care
0.000
0.010
0.020
0.030
0.040
0.050
0.060
0.070
15-17 18-21 22-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64
Incidencerate
Malaria
Male Female

6. SUBSTANCE USE
 Betel nut and tobacco most used
substances in PNG
 Men are more likely to consume betel nut,
tobacco, and alcohol than women
 Gender use gap is smallest with betel nut
 Substance use peaks between 25 and 34
years of age for both men and women and
is greatest amongst the poor
Source: Seattle Times

7. SUBSTANCE USE

8. HEALTH EXPENDITURES
 Expenditures on health care and per capita
expenditures on health care increase with
income
 Male headed households in upper quintile
spend more on health care than their
female peers
 Per capita health expenditures as a
percentage of total expenditures are
significantly higher in metro regions and
urban areas, particularly for male-headed
households.

9. DISPUTES AND VIOLENCE
 High rates of violence against women in
PNG
 Domestic violence accounts for 90% of
casualty hospital attendance by women
 Considered justifiable by many (men and
women)
 This attitude for men and women declines
as incomes and education levels increase, is
more common in rural areas
 Migration from poor rural areas contributes
to increased land disputes, violence
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Metro Southern Highlands Momase Islands Rural Urban
Sharebelievehusbandjustified(%)
Neglecting the children
Male Female

10. CRIME
 Men and women have similar views
regarding the level of crime across region
and urban status
 Particularly fearful of alcohol/drug related
crimes
 Crime significantly curtails the activities of
women
 Exacerbated by lacking rural resources and
migration to high cost urban areas
 Violence against women reduces their
freedom
 Few laws against public space abuse
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Metro Southern Highlands Momase Islands Rural Urban
Keepsfromwalkingtomarket(%)
Crime keeps from: Walking to market
Male Female

11. POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS
 Report has identified the following policy
reform priorities that will promote gender
equality and improve welfare:
1. Better infrastructure and increased access to
public transportation
2. Universal enrollment in secondary schooling
3. Support for employment opportunities outside of
subsistence agriculture
4. Universal access to free or low-cost health care
5. Gender-equitable land law reforms
6. Stronger efforts to reduce crime and domestic
violence
Source: seekingalpha.com

12. POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS: HEALTH CARE
 Improved education, access to medical
goods and services, and quality of
practitioners are key to reducing and
eradicating pervasive communicable
diseases (ex. Malaria)
 As LE increases, need to be prepared to
handle additional demand
 Improved economic success of mothers will
likely reduce the incidence of malnutrition
and its consequences amongst poor
children
 The relative low cost of betel nut likely
contributes to its popularity amongst lower
income groups in PNG  Excise taxes on the
product could reduce use, although
enforcement is likely difficult
 As incomes rise from the growing natural
gas industry, officials should plan for
combating increased alcohol use and the
resulting increase in crime
 Rigorous public health campaigns to
educate users and potential users about the
dangers of substance use may be more
expensive, but more effective

13. POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS: CRIME/DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
 Economic progress will be suppressed until
the level of criminal activity, domestic
violence, and land disputes are reduced
 Need effective system for land dispute
resolution
 Increase the number of women in
leadership positions, starting with local level
and moving up
 Literature on and analysis of the costs of
gender based violence in developing
countries is growing, but much work is still
needed
 Data on the issue should come from a
variety of stakeholders including residents,
business owners, police and court records,
hospital and health care facility records,
and observational studies

14. CONTACT INFORMATION
Alice Louise Kassens
Roanoke College
kassens@roanoke.edu
@RnningEconomist
Yana van der Meulen Rodgers
Rutgers University
yana.rodgers@rutgers.edu