Toward Gender Equality In East Asia And The Pacific

Toward Gender Equality in East Asia and the Pacific examines the relationship between gender equality and development and outlines an agenda for public action to promote more effective and inclusive development in East Asian and Pacific countries.

Women still confront multiple forms of discrimination in every Asia-Pacific country. Despite robust growth and progress on many fronts, gender inequality persists and deprives the region of a significant source of human potential. Countries in the region that have done the most to tap women's talents and capacities have traveled farthest on many aspects of human development. Countries that tolerate deep inequities fall short of equal citizenshipndash;and face social instability and economic loss, particularly acute amid global economic downturn. Today, Asia- Pacific stands at a crossroads. But with better institutions, openness to ideas, and more resources, the region is well equipped to achieve gender equality. This Report looks at three key opportunities for achieving gender equality-economics, politics and the law. Transforming institutions in all three areas, changing attitudes and assessing progress continually will open the door wide to rapid, far-reaching change for human development.

This book provides a comparative analysis of the social, economic, industrial and migration dynamics that structure women’s paid work and unpaid care work experience in the Asia-Pacific region. Each country-focused chapter examines the formal and informal ways in which work and care are managed, the changing institutional landscape, gender relations and fertility concerns, employer and trade union responses and the challenges policy makers face and the consequences of their decisions for working women. By covering the entire region, including Australia and New Zealand, the book highlights the way different national work and care regimes are linked through migration, with wealthier countries looking to their poorer neighbours for alternative sources of labour. In addition, the book contributes to debates about the barriers to women’s participation in the workforce, the valuation of unpaid care, the gender wage gap, social protection and labour regulation for migrant workers and gender relations in developing Asia.

This book establishes gender issues as a major focus within developments shaping higher education in the Asia Pacific region. The discussion is framed as a response to various dedicated efforts, such as that of the United Nations, to foreground gender as a site for political discourse throughout the region. Throughout the volume, authors confront issues that continue to gain prominence in higher education as a policy arena, including the degree to which higher education operates within a framework of gender equity and how higher education appointments—even promotions—are sensitive to gender. By touching specific instances throughout Korea, Japan, China, Australia, India, Malaysia, Thailand, and Taiwan, authors offer an unprecedented big-picture view of gender-relevant policy issues.

This publication provides a regional overview of progress made in implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in the Asia-Pacific region, from the perspectives of the national governments. More specifically, this report provides a summary of the identified achievements and challenges of ESCAP members and associate members in relation to gender equality and women’s empowerment, including in relation to the 12 critical areas of concern of the Platform for Action. This report also outlines the key means of implementation of the Platform for Action, along with the members’ and associate members’ delineated priorities for strengthening implementation and achieving gender equality.

This publication is the first Asia-Pacific report that comprehensively maps out the intersections between gender and environment at the levels of household, work, community and policy. It examines gender concerns in the spheres of food security, agriculture, energy, water, fisheries and forestry, and identifies strategic entry points for policy interventions. Based on a grounded study of the reality in the Asia-Pacific region, this report puts together good practices and policy lessons that could be capitalized by policymakers to advance the agenda of sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific.

As a result of widespread mistreatment and overt discrimination, women in the developing world often lack autonomy. This book explores key sources of female empowerment and discusses the current challenges and opportunities for the future.