Lao PDR

Using modern technology at a fabric factory. Photo: UNDP/Lao PDR

On the 100th commemoration of International Women's Day the UN calls for equal access to education, training and science and technology.

In Lao PDR large numbers of women miss out on such opportunities with many engaged in subsistence farming and low-skilled jobs. The informal sector also accounts for large numbers of women who own small businesses often in retail or textiles. Among the reasons for this are lack of education and opportunities in the formal sector.

Lao PDR is currently off track to meet the Millennium Development Goal 3 target of eliminating gender disparity in all levels of education by 2015. Despite some progress the gender gap in education has not closed significantly. The disparity widens at the higher levels with only 62 girls per 100 boys enrolled in tertiary education.

The UN Secretary-General, Mr Ban Ki-moon, used his International Women's Day message to highlight the importance of education and training in helping women to, “break the cycle of poverty, combat injustice and exercise their rights.” He also stated the importance of access to science and technology, such as cell phones and the Internet, “to enable women to improve the health and well-being of their families, take advantage of income-earning opportunities and protect themselves from exploitation and vulnerability.”

The 2010 UNDP Asia-Pacific Human Development Report highlighted the economic importance of gender equality in the work place, stating that, “Lack of women's participation in the workforce across Asia Pacific cost the region an estimated USD 89 billion every year.” In Lao PDR the agricultural labour force is 53% female, but only 7% of farms are women-headed, compared to 20% in most other regions of the world. However amongst parliamentarians, Lao PDR has one of the highest rates in the region with 25.2% being female.

Gender equality is also being pursued through other means. A national law states that men and women are equally entitled to hold property and any property purchased during marriage is regarded as jointly owned. In November last year the Lao National Assembly hosted the region's first ever conference for lawmakers to address issues of domestic violence. Discussions are now underway to broaden legal protection against such violence, which is often unreported and tolerated.

The launch this year of UN Women, a new UN entity, highlights the importance attached to accelerating the empowerment of women and girls. The new body will work to create a much stronger voice for women and for gender equality at the global level. As the UNDP Administrator, Helen Clark, says, “Achieving gender equality promotes human development – not only for women, but for whole societies and is central to achieving the MDGs.”

In 1911 more than one million women and men in Germany, Austria, Denmark and Switzerland took to the streets to campaign for women's rights to work, vote, be trained, to hold public office and end discrimination. International Women's Day is now an official holiday in many countries across the world, including here in Lao PDR, to celebrate the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future.