The “South Asia Female Labor Force Participation: Drivers and Policy Options” conference, hosted by the Office of the South Asia Chief Economist, World Bank and the Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP) delves into insightful discussions that focus on job creation, gender-equal laws, and removal of barriers for women’s economic participation.

The conference was held on December 6, 2024 in Washington, D.C.

Watch the conference here

Theme

South Asia’s female labor force participation today remains among the lowest in the world: more than 400 million working-age women in the region are outside of the labor force, which constitutes a significant output loss. Potential female labor market entrants face barriers to both labor demand and supply as well as labor market frictions. Options to increase female labor force participation include faster job creation in the nonagricultural sector, more rigorous implementation of gender-equal laws, and the removal of disincentives to women working outside the home. These measures are likely to be more effective if accompanied by a shift towards social norms that look more favorably on female employment.