Development, labour relations and gender in Papua New Guinea.

Abstract

The increase in wage labor in the periurban village of Siar, Papua New Guinea, was examined by carrying out field work in 1980. There were 82 households in Siar: 40 (49%) had at least one wage earner, and of these, 8 (20%) had two or more wage earners. This was far less than in urban areas (86%) and far more than in rural villages (6%). 39 males aged 20-49 years and 10 females aged 10-29 years out of the total population of 503 people were in regular employment. 6 of the 9 women between the ages of 18 and 25 were employed as clerks, 2 as domestic servants, and 1 as a shop assistant. 6 of the 21 men between the ages of 18 and 25 were employed as clerks, 6 as laborers in a timber mill, 4 as construction workers, 2 as medical assistants, 2 as plantation workers, and 1 in a bakery. 67% of the women were in skilled employment compared with 51% of men. Most Siar villagers were employed in Madang town with 26 people being employed in private enterprise, 17 employed by the government, and 6 by the Lutheran Mission. Access to employment depended largely on the wantok system of referring kinfolk by people who were employed. In contrast to male employment patterns, there was little opportunity for unskilled females. Most wage laborers were unable to save money because of the demands exerted on them by relatives. The villagers had developed needs to be satisfied by monetized transactions: food, clothing, housing materials, school fees, transport costs, and social activities for beer and cigarettes. On the other hand, several women requested that their employers deduct 15% of their wages for savings. The expenditure for food varied between 38% and 58% of the total cash income of units of villagers. The village's population increased because migrants arrived. In 1977, 247 (37%) Siar villagers were absent, most having left for reasons related to employment. Sexual division in Siar reinforced women's alienation from the means of production and they became doubly subordinated to capital and to men.