APEC Women Leaders: Women an untapped resource
6 August 2009
By Teh Shi Ning, The Business Times Singapore
The current economic crisis is a chance to advance the economic opportunities of women in the region, and in the process, aid recovery and growth, UN undersecretary-general Noeleen Heyzer said yesterday at the 14th Apec Women Leaders Network meeting.
'Our region loses US $42-47 billion a year by restricting women's access to employment. Up to US $17 billion a year are lost in the region due to gender gaps in education.'
Speaking to some 600 women leaders from business, government, academia and civil society, Dr Heyzer shared ESCAP research which showed the economic cost of restricting women's access to work, education and health services.
Even though women have 'emerged as the flexible labour force par excellence', she said, 'their entry into the workplace has coincided with trends towards outsourcing and subcontracting; relegating women's jobs to the informal sector without any job security or benefits'.
Especially in this current economic crisis, many of these structures and systems pose inherent risks to women's economic contributions, raising their vulnerabilities.
The extensive government spending now being rolled out in many economies could incorporate policies that would bring about more inclusive and sustainable development, Dr Heyzer said.
She suggested monitoring public expenditure along gender lines, investing in social protection and sustainable agriculture, promoting intra-regional trade as a buffer against economic shocks, as well as protecting micro-credit - a lifeline for many women and the small businesses that they run. In the long term, more needs to be done to improve access of girls and women to education and training, and, increased corporate social responsibility to protect pay equity, she added.
The recommendations made by the Apec Women Leaders Network as a result of the two-day meeting, echoed Dr Heyzer's views, calling upon Apec leaders to invest in policies and programmes that promote gender equality and women's economic security.
