International Women’s Day: as Covid-19 has shown, we need more women leaders in the Asia-Pacific

Women have been vital in the pandemic response but there are still too few women making decisions in the public sector

For recovery to be effective and inclusive in the Asia-Pacific region, more must be done, and quickly

4-MIN READ4-MIN

Armida Salsiah AlisjahbanaandAnita Bhatia

Published: 9:15am, 8 Mar 2021Updated: 9:15am, 8 Mar 2021

Since the beginning of the Covid-19 crisis, women in the Asia-Pacific have shown decisive leadership in steering their countries and communities with effective responses to the pandemic, whether it is managing their businesses and households, or standing at the front lines as health care workers.

Yet, in the highest echelons of decision-making and the public sector, we see that many women’s voices are still not being heard. Only a small percentage of political leaders in our region are women, far lower than the world’s average.

This is a detriment not only to women but to the region at large. For the response and recovery to the pandemic to be truly effective and consider everyone’s needs, it is urgent that we fast-track progress towards women’s empowerment in decision-making in public life.

Today, as we celebrate International Women’s Day, we honour the often-overlooked contributions of women in the Asia-Pacific, reflect on the progress made towards gender equality, and renew our commitment to ensuring that women and girls are valued and empowered.