Enforcing Rights and Correcting Wrongs - Asia-Pacific Regional ...

2. Assessing Gender Gaps:
Snapshots From Asia-Pacific
2.1 Growing prosperity does not
automatically redress gender gaps
Asia-Pacific, recognized as the world’s fastest growing
region, allows some extreme forms of gender gaps to
continue. The inadequate attention to gender equality
in law finds reflection in the region’s poor record on
gender overall, including some extreme forms not seen
elsewhere. Opposing forces operate: progress is certainly
visible, but is interrupted by reversals as “tradition” is used
to erect barriers. In fact, in parts of South Asia, girls cannot
even take being born for granted and pregnancy can be
Figure 1: Asia-Pacific Ranks Low on Basic Gender Indicators
1.10
1.00
0.90
0.80
0.70
0.60
0.50
0.40
0.30
0.20
0.10
0.00
Ratio of F/M life
expectancy at birth, 2007
Note: EAP – East Asia and the Pacific; SA – South Asia; SSA – Sub-Saharan Africa.
Source: UNDP 2010.
a life-threatening situation. Travel, assets, inheritance,
work outside the home, etc., when mediated through male
relatives, can become barriers of daily life. Assessments
of the gender gaps in important aspects of life, as well as
economic and social rights overall, become important.
Some of the barriers women face in everyday life can
bee seen in Figure 1. South Asia’s rankings can be close
to or lower than those in sub-Saharan Africa, such as
life expectancy, adult literacy, secondary education,
and participation in the paid labour force. Political
participation of women shows the largest male-female
gaps in all parts of the world.
East Asia and the Paci�c South Asia Sub-Saharan Africa World
Ratio of F/M adult literacy
rate, 2007
Ratio of F/M secondary
enrollment rate, 2006
Ratio of F/M adult labor force
participation rate, 2007
Ratio of F/M proportion of
seats held in national
parliaments, 2008
6
1.22
Enforcing Rights and Correcting Wrongs
1.20
China
1.18