ABSTRACT
Research suggests that intergenerational leadership presents a major challenge for the sustainability and dynamism of the women’s movement in Papua New Guinea (PNG). In this chapter, we examine interviews with women of diverse ages in PNG to highlight challenges and explore some of the underlying reasons for their existence. We then identify some possible solutions, including through considering a women’s organisation that appears to be addressing issues of power sharing explicitly. Throughout the chapter, we conceptualise intergenerational leadership as a process of sharing leadership between older and younger generations. We argue that to embody this understanding of intergenerational leadership, a shift in attitudes about power-sharing and mutual learning is needed within formal women’s organisations and groups. We further suggest that this ought to include a willingness to re-evaluate organisational structures, dynamics, and approaches.
