With more than 400 million working-age women outside the labor force, South Asia has a significant loss of economic output. This blog details insights from a 2024 conference focused on policies to boost women’s workforce participation in the region, highlighting persistent barriers and potential solutions. Supply- and demand-side obstacles persist, including safety concerns, limited access to job networks and training, slow wage growth, hiring discrimination, and restrictive social norms. Global trends suggest that improving workplace safety, expanding access to social networks and job opportunities, offering skills training, and removing legal work restrictions can help increase women’s workforce participation – but that sustaining momentum will require changes in both policies and norms.
Blog » Raising Female Employment in South Asia, One Step at a Time (2025)
Raising Female Employment in South Asia, One Step at a Time (2025)
With more than 400 million working-age women outside the labor force, South Asia has a significant loss of economic output. This blog details insights from a 2024 conference focused on policies to boost women’s workforce participation in the region, highlighting persistent barriers and potential solutions. Supply- and demand-side obstacles persist, including safety concerns, limited access to job networks and training, slow wage growth, hiring discrimination, and restrictive social norms. Global trends suggest that improving workplace safety, expanding access to social networks and job opportunities, offering skills training, and removing legal work restrictions can help increase women’s workforce participation – but that sustaining momentum will require changes in both policies and norms.