Social Development

Advancing gender equality and women’s economic empowerment

When guaranteed through equal opportunity, choice and access to resources, women’s full participation in society and the economy multiplies the capacity of all for sustainable economic growth and social development.

Yet, despite regional advances to ensure gender equality and promote women’s empowerment, women in Asia and the Pacific continue to face discriminatory policies, social and cultural barriers, and threats to their security that violate their rights and limit their potential. The gender gaps in economic participation have barely changed in the last 20 years. In our region, only 50 per cent of the women in the working age population are economically active, compared to 84 per cent of the men. Around 64 per cent of the working women in Asia and the Pacific are in informal employment. 78 per cent of women workers in South and South-West Asia and 60 per cent in South-East Asia are concentrated in vulnerable employment (Source: Vanek, J. and others. (2014). Statistics on the Informal Economy: Definitions, Regional Estimates and Challenges. Cambridge, MA: WIEGO).

In terms of political participation, while the proportion of women in national parliaments has risen from 8 percent in 1990 to 18 per cent in 2018, the region falls behind the global average of 24 per cent. Across Asia and Pacific, between 17.3 and 68 percent of women (aged 15 to 49) face violence at the hands of an intimate partner, with severe consequences for women and girls and their families, and of significant economic and social cost to countries..

Our response

ESCAP provides an inclusive intergovernmental platform for governments and other stakeholders in the region to accelerate the implementation of global gender equality commitments, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the outcomes of the Fourth World Conference on Women and the Beijing Platform for Action, as well as the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals.

The gender dimensions of regional priorities for economic and social development are integrated into programme planning and implementation across ESCAP’s work. ESCAP also dedicates focused analysis, targeted programming and technical support at the request of Member States to promote and protect the rights of women and girls. Particular emphasis is placed on enabling economic participation and enhancing women’s share in safe, formal and fully-remunerated employment across Asia and the Pacific

Our work

ESCAP supports regional cooperation among policy makers and practitioners with regard to implementing international commitments in the field of gender equality and advancement of women.

Enhancing Women’s Economic Participation in Asia-Pacific

As one part of its strategy to enhance women’s economic empowerment, ESCAP is supporting efforts to foster enabling conditions for women’s entrepreneurship. Our works aims to: a) ensure the formulation and implementation of gender-responsive policies in SME development and promotion; b) engage financial institutions to increase women’s access to credit and financial services; and c) enhance women’s access to market information, networks and services, including through harnessing access to ICT.

ESCAP’s new regional initiative on ’Catalyzing Women’s Entrepreneurship’ deploys a multi-pronged approach, including an enabling environment for women to build and grow their businesses, improved access to financial services and capital, as well as increased use of ICT tools and innovative technology in their business operations. Funded by the Government of Canada, this regional initiative brings together Governments, civil society organizations, the private sector and development partners to galvanize support for scaling up investments toward closing gender gaps in economic participation, and unleashing women’s creative potential. [Learn More]

ESCAP produced a study on “Enabling Entrepreneurship for Women's Economic Empowerment in Asia and the Pacific”. Building on this foundation, a publication identifying critical challenges facing ASEAN women entrepreneurs and key drivers for change entitled “Fostering Women’s Entrepreneurship: Transforming Prospects, Transforming Societies” was also launched in 2017.

Valuing and investing in unpaid care and domestic work

ESCAP works with governments in Asia and the Pacific to invest in the care economy, and to recognize, redistribute, and reduce unpaid care and domestic work. This includes harmonizing existing legislation toward the reduction and redistribution of unpaid care work and the establishment of national care systems that include affordable support services for children, the elderly and family members with disabilities. The recognition of unpaid care work can also be done through the systematic use of gender-responsive budget initiatives.

The Regional Report on COVID-19 and the Unpaid Care Economy in Asia and the Pacific was published by ESCAP in September 2021. In October 2021, the report on Addressing Unpaid Care Work in ASEAN was jointly published by ESCAP, the ASEAN Committee on Women (ACW) and the ASEAN Secretariat. A report on How to Invest in the Care Economy: A Primer was jointly published in June 2022 by ESCAP and the Institution of Development Studies (IDS).

ESCAP also initiated targeted projects on the care economy with governmental institutions in Cambodia and the Philippines in collaboration with IDS and national consultants. Central in the reports is the ASEAN Comprehensive Framework on Care Economy, developed with inputs from ASEAN countries and sectoral, regional and international bodies to ensure a care-responsive recovery strategy leaves no one behind. The case study reports were published in August 2022.

Community meeting in Indonesia on preventing and responding to violence against women

Catalyzing women’s entrepreneurship

Funded by the Government of Canada, this regional initiative brings together Governments, civil society organizations, the private sector and development partners to galvanize support for scaling up investments toward closing gender gaps in economic participation, and unleashing women’s creative potential. [Learn More]

Catalyzing Women’s Entrepreneurship Training Session

Gender mainstreaming at ESCAP

ESCAP promotes gender equality and the human rights of women and girls by enhancing gender mainstreaming through the full implementation of the System-wide Action Plan on Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-SWAP 2.0). The UN-SWAP is the central United Nations policy framework to strengthen the institutional environment and deliver substantive outcomes on gender equality and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The ESCAP gender mainstreaming report illustrates the gender mainstreaming efforts made by ESCAP, highlighting the institutionalized policies, mechanisms and plans that integrates gender mainstreaming into ESCAP’s organizational culture, structures and processes. It also describes how ESCAP promotes gender equality in our work. Please click here for the most recent ESCAP gender mainstreaming progress report.

Other Knowledge Products on the Gender Dimensions of Sustainable Development

Towards supporting the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, ESCAP is developing a series of knowledge products on the gender dimensions of sustainable development, including examining the gender-environment nexus as well as harnessing the potential women’s transformative leadership.

Asia-Pacific Gender Equality Portal

ESCAP has developed an online gender resource facility to support ESCAP member States in implementation of the Asian and Pacific Ministerial Declaration on Advancing Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. The online resource facility supports evidence-based policy formulation, governance practices, service delivery and practical initiatives that foster gender equality and women’s empowerment in the Asia-Pacific region.

Please click here for an archive of ESCAP projects.