The Solomon Islands are an archipelagic country in Oceania with a population of 800,000. The island nation has faced economic problems due to civil war, natural disasters and overreliance on natural resources.

Poverty is high in the Solomon Islands due to geographic isolation, reliance on subsistence agriculture and limited access to basic health care, education, electricity, sanitation and water. According to the Asian Development Bank, 43.3% of the employed population were below $3 purchasing power parity per day in 2025. This makes it one of the most poverty-ridden nations in the Pacific region.

Gender inequality and violence against women are high in the Solomon Islands. The nation is a patriarchal society with men holding the majority of positions of power. According to the Solomon Islands Government, two in three women have experienced physical or sexual violence from their partner. Women face issues in employment as well. According to the World Bank, vulnerable employment among women was 79.1% while among men it was 59% in 2025.

Despite facing barriers to economic opportunities and gender inequality, women across the Solomon Islands are playing an increasingly important role in tackling poverty. Programs such as Women’s Rights Action Movement (WRAM) and Oxfam’s Kōtui program are working to address these issues by expanding women’s access to skills, education, financial opportunities and leadership development.

Women’s Rights Action Movement (WRAM)

WRAM is a women’s rights nongovernmental organization (NGO) founded in the Solomon Islands in 2011. Its mission is to support the government in promoting and protecting the equal rights of women and men, addressing gender inequalities through targeted action and collaborating with NGOs to strengthen good governance in the Solomon Islands.

Currently, the International Women’s Development Agency (IWDA) is supporting WRAM to implement the 2023 Women Ignite Stability and Economic Recovery (WISER) Program. The program aims to increase women’s political representation through legislation and reserved seats, while strengthening the Solomon Islands women’s rights movement, advancing young women’s leadership and building WRAM’s organizational capacity.

Additionally, WRAM helped secure the 2014 Family Protection Act, which made domestic violence illegal in the Solomon Islands, and now campaigns for reserved seats for women at the provincial level while leading national efforts to strengthen women’s rights and political participation.

Oxfam’s Kōtui Program

In Malaita, the second most populous island of the Solomon Islands, women are leading change through financial inclusion. Oxfam’s Kōtui program, in partnership with West ‘Are’are Rokotanikeni Association (WARA), is an initiative promoting women’s economic empowerment. It forms savings groups in remote regions for women to learn leadership skills and financial literacy and build collective confidence in their communities.

This program is crucial for a heavily male-dominated society where women are often not included in decision-making processes that influence their own lives. Workshops help women articulate issues and negotiate to achieve their goals in an organized manner.

Looking Ahead

Empowering women is essential to reducing poverty and building stronger communities in the Solomon Islands. Through programs such as WRAM, Kōtui and WARA, women are gaining greater access to economic opportunities, skills and leadership roles. Continued investment in women’s empowerment could help create a more equal, sustainable and resilient future for the Solomon Islands.

– Maya Hagiwara

Maya is based in Tokyo, Japan and focuses on Good News for The Borgen Project.

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