A growing body of evidence indicates that women have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and greater policy action is needed to address their economic recovery needs in areas like small business aid, job creation and protection, access to finance, technology, and skills training, and social support. Without timely solutions, women will continue to face difficulties maintaining livelihoods and securing decent work, especially those among the least educated and most vulnerable.

The inaugural ADBI Annual Forum on Expanding Women’s Participation in the Asian Economy highlighted priorities for achieving a gender-inclusive pandemic recovery in the region, with a focus on policy adjustments that could help to ensure and build upon progress toward expanding women’s education, employment, and entrepreneurship. It featured keynote remarks from Jennifer Gordon, Chief Economist of Australia’s, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, providing context for two discussion sessions.

Session I: Speakers from Yale University and the Asia Foundation presented research on women in the Asian economy, recent household data on the effects of COVID-19 on women, and prospects for addressing employment disruptions.

Session II: ADBI and the Asian Development Bank experts discussed barriers to women-owned businesses in the COVID-19 era and the importance of enhancing women’s participation in the online marketplace for a gender-balanced recovery.

See more about this ADBI event.