Asia’s women are taking one step forward, two steps back when it comes to gender equality.
Family structures and entrenched notions of what constitutes women’s work are holding back the region’s female population from scaling the corporate ladder, according to the International Labor Organization (ILO).
The proportion of women graduates who studied construction, engineering and manufacturing has stagnated or even fallen in some countries, including Malaysia, Mongolia and Japan, UNESCO data show.
A standout is South Korea, where the proportion of female graduates choosing these fields has slumped to almost one in 10 in 2013 from more than one in five in 1998. Korean women also make up a smaller share of construction, engineering and manufacturing graduates compared with previously.
There can be a negative feedback cycle when female graduates in these fields find it difficult to find employment or stay on the job due to gender bias in areas traditionally dominated by men, according to the ILO.
While women own and manage almost 30 percent of businesses in the Asia-Pacific region, female employers are mainly confined to micro and small enterprises, the ILO said in a report. The share of women bosses increased in countries such as Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines from 2008 to 2013, despite many major companies still lacking female voices on their boards.
“The major obstacle we still find is that gender stereotyping is still there, perhaps linked to the fact that family responsibilities are still mainly assigned to women,” ILO Bureau For Employers’ Activities director Deborah France-Massin said. “The glass ceiling is cracked, but it is still far from broken.”
Pay disparity also remains an issue in Asia. Men in India and South Korea make more than 30 percent more than their female counterparts, the ILO said. Yet, there are exceptions: In the Philippines’ matriarchal society, women actually earn more than men on average.
Four contenders are squaring up to succeed Antonio Guterres as secretary-general of the UN, which faces unprecedented global instability, wars and its own crushing budget crisis. Chile’s Michelle Bachelet, Argentina’s Rafael Grossi, Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan and Senegal’s Macky Sall are each to face grillings by 193 member states and non-governmental organizations for three hours today and tomorrow. It is only the second time the UN has held a public question-and-answer, a format created in 2016 to boost transparency. Ultimately the five permanent members of the UN’s top body, the Security Council, hold the power, wielding vetoes over who leads the
South Korea’s air force yesterday apologized for a 2021 midair collision involving two fighter jets, a day after auditors said the pilots were taking selfies and filming during the flight and held them responsible for the accident. “We sincerely apologize to the public for the concern caused by the accident that occurred in 2021,” an air force spokesman told a news conference, adding that one of the pilots involved had been suspended from flying duties, received severe disciplinary action and has since left the military. The apology followed a report released on Wednesday by the South Korean Board of Audit and Inspection,
Young Chinese, many who fear age discrimination in their workplace after turning 35, are increasingly starting “one-person companies” that have artificial intelligence (AI) do most of the work. Smaller start-ups are already in vogue in Silicon Valley and elsewhere, with rapidly advancing AI tools seen as a welcome teammate even as they threaten layoffs at existing firms. More young people in China are subscribing to the model, as cities pledge millions of dollars in funding and rent subsidies for such ventures, in alignment with Beijing’s political goal of “technological self-reliance.” “The one-person company is a product of the AI era,” said Karen Dai
About 240 Indians claiming descent from a Biblical tribe landed at Tel Aviv airport on Thursday as part of a government operation to relocate them to Israel. The newcomers passed under a balloon arch in blue and white, the colors of the Israeli flag, as dozens of well-wishers welcomed them with a traditional Jewish song. They were the first “bnei Menashe” (“sons of Manasseh”) to arrive in Israel since the government in November last year announced funding for the immigration of about 6,000 members of the community from the states of Manipur and Mizoram in northeast India. The community claims to descend from
RSS