Strengthening Women's entrepreneurship in ASEAN

Rapid economic growth in Southeast Asia since the turn of the century has led to remarkably improved socio-economic conditions, with expanded and enhanced employment opportunities, gradually rising wages and better living standards. Yet, the dividends of this strong and multifaceted dynamism have not, so far, been evenly shared between men and women. Whereas economic growth and better targeted social policies have contributed to shrinking gender gaps in educational attainment, significant disparities remain in women’s labour force participation, job quality and earnings in the region. This report – developed jointly by the OECD, ASEAN and national stakeholders – seeks to better understand the causes behind these persistent gaps and advances policy solutions to help close them.