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Pacific Women Need Better Access to Jobs |
| Source: |
The National |
| Source Date: |
Thursday, March 22, 2012 |
| Focus: |
ICT for MDGs
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| Created: |
Mar 26, 2012 |
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A NEW World Bank report said improvements in gender equality have been made across East Asia and Pacific, but disparities still exist in a number of important areas. The East Asia Pacific Gender companion to the World Development Report 2012 on Gender Equality and Development said improving women’s access to jobs and economic opportunity could significantly boost productivity in the region. The report, which is supported by AusAID, was released by a team of World Bank gender experts in Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Fiji, and was launched at the Lamana Hotel in Port Moresby on Monday. The authors of the report spoke with policy makers, civil society, and opinion leaders on gender agenda and discussed policy options to promote gender equality and more inclusive and effective development. Asia Pacific vice-president Pamela Cox said: “Eliminating inequality of opportunity in economic participation could increase worker productivity in the region by 7-18%.
“This has large implications for economic growth and poverty reduction. So, women’s economic empowerment is not only the right thing to do; it’s the smart thing to do. The World Bank is committed to supporting countries in addressing the constraints that women face in gaining access to economic opportunity, where related to strengthening their marketable skills, improving their access to land and capital or increasing their voice and influence in society,” Cox said. In working towards gender equality globally, the World Development Report and the new East Asia Pacific companion study called for action in five areas. These include addressing human capital issues, closing earning and productivity gaps between men and women, giving women greater voice within households and societies, limiting the perpetuation of gender inequality across generations and the importance of managing risks associated with rising trends in the region related to globalisation, technology and others. The report recommends that policy makers address gaps in income and they should focus on other stubborn gender gaps, for example, in voice and influence in society, to ensure the greatest payoffs from policy changes.
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Pacific Women Need Better Access to Jobs A NEW World Bank report said improvements in gender equality have been made across East Asia and Pacific but disparities still exist in a number of important areas
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