📋 Tender Overview
Project Name
Advancing Women's Leadership in Asia and the Pacific
Project Number
59118-001
Country / Economy
Regional
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyz Republic
Lao People's Democratic Republic
Maldives
Nepal
Pakistan
Tajikistan
Timor-Leste
Turkmenistan
Uzbekistan
Project Status
Proposed
Project Type / Modality of Assistance
Technical Assistance
Source of Funding / Amount
TA: Advancing Women's Leadership in Asia and the Pacific
Technical Assistance Special Fund US$ 1.50 million
Sector / Subsector
Public sector management / Social protection initiatives
Gender
Description
The proposed Technical Assistance (TA) will provide leadership training to senior women leaders working in government agencies and state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in male-dominated sectors as well as select women leaders from private sector and civil society organizations (CSOs) to address women's limited representation and voice in decision-making across Asia and the Pacific. It will expand the outreach of ADB's flagship Asia Women Leaders Program (AWLP) through country-focused and subregional training, enhancing women leaders' communication and negotiation skills to maximize their effectiveness in their spheres of influence, as well as build their confidence and networks for professional development. The TA will also strengthen the sustainability of AWLP through a training of trainers (TOT) approach, digital AWLP delivery platform, and alumni resource and/or networking hub.
Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy
Gender gaps persist in Asia and the Pacific. Despite significant strides in gender equality and women's empowerment, including reduced gender gaps in education, women's representation in leadership and women's labor force participation rate (LFPR) remains low. In 2022, the regional LFPR average for women was 44%, varying from 24.1% in South Asia to 60.3% in East Asia, compared to 73.6% for men. Closer analysis shows that women's employment is concentrated in Government, Care and Social Services (53.8% in public administration, education, health, social work, arts, care services and paid domestic work) and is the lowest in Industry (29.4% in manufacturing, construction, mining, utilities). In public administration, women are underrepresented at all levels of decision-making, averaging 20% of top leaders; 25% of senior managers and 33% of managers. Women's slow rise to leadership is due to cultural, self-imposed, and structural barriers. Desirable leadership traits are often seen as 'masculine,' with assertive women perceived as unlikeable and softer-spoken women seen as weak leaders for example. Women also tend to underestimate their leadership capacity because of deeply entrenched social norms. Gender-biased recruitment and promotion policies; limited child-care services, skills training and capacity development, mentoring and networks; and inflexible work options, collectively pose key structural barriers.
Low representation of wome
