Few women
make it to the top despite Asia's wealth
FEMALE LEADERS: In the economy
and on the job, Malaysians join the 'top performers', write Astrid S. Tuminez
and Vishakha N. Desai
EVERYONE'S eyes are on Asia's rise. China, once dismissed as poor
and backward, is now the world's second-largest economy. India, with its huge
population, scientific prowess, and entrepreneurial vitality, is another
powerful engine of Asian growth. Add to this Japan and South Korea's formidable
economies and Southeast Asia's dynamism, and a picture emerges of rising
wealth, confidence and leadership.
Yet few women in Asia make it to the top. Social norms undervalue
girls and women, with sex-selection abortions resulting in some 1.3 million
girls per year not being born in China and India alone.
Still, women have benefited from Asia's economic development.
According to the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report 2011, rising
prosperity has narrowed gender inequality in many countries. Women are making
progress in health, education, economic opportunity and political empowerment,
which they can leverage for future leadership.
Furthermore, family and dynastic factors have helped to catapult
women to the highest political posts. Indeed, Asia has had more female heads of
state than any other region in the world, which, together with economic success
for some, creates an impetus for change in perceptions of women's role, status
and capabilities.
Data for indicators of women's leadership in Asia, though limited,
show that the Philippines, Australia and New Zealand are consistently among the
top performers. With the addition of economic and occupational parameters --
such as women in senior management positions, promotion rates, remuneration and
wage equality -- these countries are joined by Singapore, Mongolia, Thailand
and Malaysia.
While South Asia performs worst in overall gender equality and
women's attainment, it comprises three of the top five countries in terms of
political empowerment (Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and India). South Asian countries
also lead in terms of women in parliament (Nepal and Pakistan); women ministers
(Bangladesh); and women leaders in sub-national government (India, Pakistan and
Bangladesh).
But being vaulted to leadership by family and dynastic connections
is not a sign of greater gender equality. And, while affirmative action has
significantly increased women's political representation, limited political
leadership gains have yet to translate into real benefits.
Moreover, while development has benefited women, the relationship
between human development and female leadership is not directly proportional.
Some of the Asian economies with the highest human development rankings, such
as Japan and South Korea, are among the worst in terms of women in senior
management, wage equality, remuneration and political empowerment. Singapore
and Hong Kong, too, display significant gender gaps in leadership, despite high
human development.
In Asia, many women -- 70 per cent in Japan, 53 per cent in China
and 46 per cent in Singapore -- simply do not make the transition from middle
to senior management. Women need more systematic support to facilitate their
choice to pursue high-powered careers without giving up their roles as mothers
and caregivers. Significant improvement is needed in mentoring, parental leave,
childcare and elder care, as well as more gender-equal retirement and pension
schemes.
Ultimately, entrenched social and cultural norms remain the most
intractable obstacle to female leadership in Asia. A campaign is needed to
educate people, change the valuation and perception of girls and women, and
give women a more equal voice -- at home and in public -- in order to
facilitate their transition to leadership roles.
But education is only part of the solution. Affirmative action
programmes can expedite female representation in leadership, but they take time
to affect deeply ingrained social norms. Over time, however, exposure to female
leaders at the local level can reduce bias and boost the aspirations and
educational achievement of young women, as is happening in India.
Governments, particularly in China and India, can step up efforts
to end sex selection. More laws -- and better enforcement -- are needed to
reduce domestic violence, and to increase women's bargaining power through
broader property ownership, better access to support services and greater
freedom to leave marriages.
From birth, girls in Asia face significant obstacles in fulfilling
their human potential. It is time to remove the barriers. Empowering Asia's
women will benefit them and enrich the entire region. Project Syndicate
Source : New
Straits Times
Date : 18 May
2012
afternoon highlight (18/05/12/088/563)
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