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July 24, 2017

ILO Report: "Closing gender gaps could add US$ 3.2 trillion to the Asia-Pacific economy"

The recent International Labour Organisation (ILO) report, “World Employment and Social Outlook – Trends for Women” found that East and South Asia are the only two regions in the world where gender gaps have increased over the past two decades. Especially in the Asia-Pacific region, women are less likely to participate in the labour market, less likely to find work, and more likely to work for jobs of lower quality and lower pay. The report shows that reducing such gender gaps could not only improve conditions for women, but add US$ 3.2 trillion to the Asia-Pacific economy.

Free To Shine works to narrow the gender gap in Cambodia each and every day. We empower girls to stay in school and take full advantage of their education, thus expanding their professional opportunities. In addition, we fund university tuition for those that want to continue their studies after graduating high school. Our program works to encourage the girls we work with to think about their career goals early on in their education and help them plan accordingly.Free To Shine is in the process of developing a series of community workshops titled “Future Goals” – designed to encourage girls to think about non-traditional career options and to give them the tools to help them achieve their goals. To fund a Free To Shine community workshop or training session, click here.