Why are so few women in senior ASEAN leadership roles?

Member nations are encouraged to redouble their efforts to correct this

BY Dexter Tilo 15 Oct 2022

The number of women holding managerial positions across the ASEAN region only grew by two percentage points in the past two decades, according to a new report, which revealed that women's share in such roles "remains below parity." The recently released Data Snapshot: Women's Leadership in the ASEAN Region revealed that there were only 41% of women managers across ASEAN, only slightly higher than the 39% in 2000. The number of women in middle and senior management positions is at an even lower percentage at 26%, according to the report.

"In the ASEAN region, there is increasing recognition of the role of women as leaders and agents of change," read the report. "However, more efforts are still required to promote their roles in accelerating productivity, enhancing ecosystem conservation, and creating more sustainable and inclusive development."

UN Women said that ASEAN members need to "redouble efforts to correct the slim representation of women in leadership posts across multiple sectors of society."

Sarah Knibbs, regional director of UN Women in Asia and the Pacific, said it is important to have more women in leadership to promote a "more equitable recovery from the pandemic."

"There is an increasing recognition of the gendered impact of COVID-19 and the critical role that women played in the response. We need to ensure they can continue to participate and have greater leadership roles in the COVID-19 recovery," said Knibbs.

The report was co-written by UN Women and the Cambodia government, which is the current chair of the ASEAN. In a statement, Cambodian Women's Affairs Minister Ing Kantha Phavi pointed out that gender equality is a "smart investment."