Of the 134 women who stood at candidates in Papua New Guinea's national election, it's now unlikely that even one of them will win a seat in parliament.

All three women MPs from last time - Loujaya Tonu, Julie Soso, and Delilah Gore - have been defeated, the former Youth & Community Development Minister the latest to go, beaten narrowly by independent Henry Amuli in the Sohe Open seat in Northern Province.

It's a dismal picture for those who have been calling for greater female representation in the PNG government, and Maria Linibie, the President of PNG Women in Agriculture, which assisted 20 female election candidates, says social structures in the country continue to hold women back.