P R O M O T I N G G E N D E R E Q U A L I T Y I N E A S T A S I A A N D T H E P A C I F I C
example, an impact evaluation of business training to female entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka suggests that business training alone may be insufficient to raise outcomes among existing female entrepreneurs, but may be more effective for new entrepreneurs (de Mel, McKenzie, and Woodruff, 2012). The study finds that combining business training with grants has a large impact on short-run business profitability among existing entrepreneurs, but no longer-term impact. Among new entrants, business training was found to increase profitability and improve business practices. Programs that improve women’s access to productive resources have been shown to increase women’s self-confidence and empower them to be more actively engaged in society. In Cambodia, the Women’s Empowerment Program provides poor women with literacy, leadership, and financial training. Apart from gains in endowments and economic opportunities, the program reports a positive impact on increasing women’s voice and influence. For example, several participating women later joined leadership posts at the local level (Rosenbloom 2004). Similarly, an impact assessment of a women’s entrepreneurship training program in Aceh, Indonesia, showed that business planning and management training helped to promote greater confidence among women trainees, create or strengthen new social networks, and identify ways to improve the business environment for women (ILO 2008). Other examples of programs that increase women’s agency include community-driven development programs and self-help groups. In Indonesia, a community-driven development program named the Kecamantan Development Program contributed to developing the leadership skills of local women through its activities. The program helped develop the capacity of beneficiaries to plan, prioritize, and manage local community investments, as well as developed various livelihood skills to make them self-reliant (World Bank 2009). In India, self-help groups have increased women’s assertiveness by offering support mechanisms and resources that develop women’s confidence (Suguna 2006).
Establishing an enabling environment for gender equality in the workplace Even though the formal sector in many East Asian and Pacific countries is small, governments have a role in strengthening the formal sector work environment to promote gender equality. Policy instruments available to the government include labor regulations, active labor market policies, and even affirmative action policies. Governments can work with the private sector using promising approaches that include improving business procedures or establishing firm certification for genderfriendly work environments. Promoting gender-equitable labor institutions and practices Labor regulations that result in asymmetries in the employability and costs of hiring male and female workers can be found throughout the region. In countries where gaps in discrimination legislation exist, closing those gaps should be made a priority. For example, although the Tongan constitution guarantees equality, it does not contain a specific prohibition on discrimination on the basis of gender (Hedditch and Manuel 2010). The lack of antidiscrimination legislation raises the possibility for women to be treated unfairly by employers. Protective legislation, though well intentioned, can restrict the employability of women and should be tackled more directly. For example, restrictions on night work for women in the Philippines can reduce the attractiveness of hiring female employees. In addition, several countries in the region restrict the industries that women can work in as a means of protecting them from hazardous conditions. These protective measures can reduce the labor market opportunities of women. Governments should give priority to tackling the motivating factors behind protective legislation more directly. Employment conditions and protections in industries continuously evolve, thus giving policy makers the opportunity to regularly revisit limitations on women’s work in restricted industries in light
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