Cambodia takes lead in women’s employment in ASEAN

The Lao People’s Democratic Republic and Vietnam with 47% representation for women come next to Cambodia regarding employment, while Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines are at the bottom with only 39 women among 100 employed persons. 

This was according to a report released jointly by UN Women and ASEAN Chair Cambodia.

The report titled Data Snapshot: Women’s Leadership in the ASEAN Region showed that the share of women managers in South-East Asia has only increased by a meagre two percentage points in the past two decades, from 39% in 2000 to 41% in 2020. As many of the positions occupied by women are lower management jobs, women’s representation in middle and senior management is even lower, at 26%. 

Women’s share of managerial positions across ASEAN countries remains below parity. Except for the Lao People’s Democratic Republic and the Philippines, women remain underrepresented in management in all countries. 

READ: Asia Pacific nations pledge to advance women’s economic empowerment

Job segregation along gender lines is also an issue at managerial levels. Data show that women in management are clustered in certain positions. Women are more likely to have administrative and commercial managerial positions, and to be managers in hospitality, retail and other services, compared to other sectors. 

In turn, less than one-third of chief executives, senior officials, legislators and managers in production and specialised services are women. Increasing women’s representation in these types of jobs is important to ensure that women can shape political, economic and environmental decisions across the region, reported Khmer Times.