Window of opportunity for Asia to improve gender equality at work: ADB, ILO

BANGKOK, Thailand: Asian countries have a window of opportunity to tackle gender inequality in their labour markets and support sustainable crisis recovery, according to a new report published today by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the International Labour Organization (ILO).

The report, Women and Labour Markets in Asia: Rebalancing for Gender Equality, says that although Asia is helping to lead the global economy, recovery of the labour market from the recent economic and financial crisis has not kept pace. In some developing countries, particularly in East Asia, job growth is back, but the quality of jobs being created is a major concern. In particular, 45 % of the vast productive potential of Asian women remains untapped, compared to just 19 % for Asian men.

Even before the crisis, Asia was estimated to be losing $42-$47 billion a year because of limits on women’s access to employment opportunities and another $16-$30 billion a year as a result of gender gaps in education, according to estimates by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. Although the region’s economic growth of 6.2 % in 2000-2007 greatly exceeded the global average of 4.2 %, average growth in women’s employment was just 1.7 % - below the world average of 2 %.

These deficits are likely to have increased during the crisis, the report says, because women disproportionately shouldered the impact due to pre-existing gender inequalities. They include discrimination in the region’s labour markets, inequality rooted in social-cultural norms and national policy and institutional frameworks that shape the employment opportunities of Asia’s 734 million female workers.

“There is now a window of opportunity to address systematic gender inequalities as well as the symptoms thrown up by the crisis, and achieve full labour market recovery and successful rebalancing,” the report says. “The policy goal should not be to return to the ‘normal’ pre-crisis situation…but to rebalance towards a new development trajectory that is job-rich, just, sustainable and inclusive.”

“ADB is firmly committed to promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment through our operations. We believe that ADB has a responsibility to set a positive example for the region in tackling gender inequality,” said Ursula Schaefer-Preuss, ADB’s Vice President of Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development. “This timely report sheds further light on the negative impacts of gender discrimination in the labour force, and provides a new chance for governments and societies to increase quality employment options for women.”

The report points out that poor quality jobs are a greater labour market challenge for women than unemployment. A large proportion of women in Asia toil in vulnerable, low paid, informal work. In addition, female youth unemployment is high and women are still largely perceived as a buffer workforce or secondary earners next to men.

Policies to improve the situation include support for women entrepreneurs; assisting women working in agriculture to boost productivity; reducing Asia’s over-reliance on the informal sector; promoting equal access to quality education and training; gender-responsive social protection; ensuring equality in representation and decision-making; and following a rights-based approach.

“Asia faces both old and new challenges and it needs to address both if it is to reap the social and economic benefits of gender equality,” said Sachiko Yamamoto, ILO Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific. “The drive to rebalance towards more sustainable, fairer development must not distract policymakers from dealing with ingrained gender inequalities. One cannot succeed without the other and the social and economic costs of missing this opportunity will be felt for decades. The ILO stands ready to help with this, an important step towards the goal of decent work for all.”

The report is a joint undertaking by ADB and the ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, reflecting the high-level commitment of both organisations to gender equality as an economic and social investment that will generate enormous dividends for sustainable development in the region.

ADB, based in Manila, is dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth and regional integration. Established in 1966, it is owned by 67 members – 48 from the region. In 2010, ADB approvals, including co-financing, totalled $17.51 billion. In addition, ADB’s ongoing Trade Finance Program supported $2.8 billion in trade.

The ILO is the UN specialised agency concerned with work and workplace issues and related rights and standards. Its overarching goal is to achieve decent work for all so everyone benefits from working conditions that offer freedom, equity, security and human dignity. It has 33 Member States in Asia Pacific and more than 180 worldwide.

The full report can be found online at www.adb.org/gender and www.ilo.org/asia.