(Press release)

Embargo until (Tue 20 August 2024)

Vientiane, Lao People’s Democratic Republic — By investing in the care economy, Southeast Asian countries can expand women’s economic participation, driving more equitable growth and development. A new UN Women data review, “Women’s economic empowerment and the care economy in ASEAN”, released ahead of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Women’s Leadership Summit in Vientiane on 23 August, supports the adoption of the new ASEAN Declaration on Strengthening the Care Economy and Resilience for the ASEAN Community beyond 2025.

The data show that women’s participation in the region’s labor force is systematically lower than that of men, partly due to women’s unequal share of care responsibilities in the household. In addition, many of the paid care jobs held by women are in the informal economy, where workers are particularly vulnerable.

The data review highlights the structural barriers to gender equality in the world of work and calls for a transformation of care systems to give women and girls more opportunities to fully participate in the economy and society.

Evidence shows that expanding care services, such as kindergartens, and improving care-supporting jobs through parental leave can alleviate time constraints for women and girls with care responsibilities. To improve the status of women in the care economy, social protection needs to be expanded and working conditions improved, including wages, equal opportunities and freedom from discrimination, harassment and violence.

According to the snapshot, transforming care systems must also include vulnerable groups such as girls, single women with children and older women to keep the promise of leaving no one behind.

“Gender data shows that one of the biggest barriers to women’s economic empowerment is the unequal burden of unpaid care and domestic work on women,” said Christine Arab, UN Women Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific. “By removing structural barriers and improving working conditions and pay through gender-transformative policies and programmes, we can create an environment that provides equal opportunities, empowers women and promotes economic rights for all in ASEAN.”