MasterCard Index Shows Increased Gender Balance in Asia/Pacific

Who Countries ASIA: MasterCard Index Shows Increased Gender Balance in Asia/Pacific

MasterCard Index Shows Increased Gender Balance in Asia/Pacific

MasterCard’s latest Index of Women’s Advancement, which measures the socioeconomic level of women compared to men, shows that women are making steady improvement in terms of empowerment. The Index is made up of five indicators: Business Ownership, Business & Government Leadership, Workforce Participation, Regular Employment Opportunities, and Tertiary Education. Each indicator measures the ratio of women to every 100 men in each of 14 Asia/Pacific markets. Scores under 100 indicate gender inequality in favor of men, with scores over 100 showing inequality in favor of women.

BEST AND WORST

Australia (83.3), New Zealand (83.1), the Philippines (77.8), Singapore (77.4), and Vietnam (75.0) showed the best scores.

The worst scores came from India (48.4), Korea (63.5), and Japan (64.8).

UPS AND DOWNS

Twelve of the 14 markets have seen increases in their scores over the last three years.

Though India has the lowest score (by far) at 48.4, the country’s score has been on the rise since 2010
China, on the other hand, has a much higher score (73.7), but has seen small declines since 2007

“The results of this latest index show that across the key indicators in most markets women are progressing; big steps are being taken in terms of workforce participation and regular employment opportunities.”— Georgette Tan, MasterCard

WORKFORCE

Eight markets are averaging more than 70 women for every 100 men in the workforce
India did most poorly in this area, at 35 women for every 100 men
11 of the 14 markets offered equal opportunity for men and women in terms of regular employment

FEMALE BUSINESS OWNERS

13 of 14 markets had fewer than 50 female business owners for every 100 male business owners
Australia scored the highest (56.6) and Hong Kong the lowest (29.0)

LEADERSHIP

In government/business leadership positions, only six markets have at least 50 women leaders for every 100 male leaders
The Philippines is the only market that has gender parity in business/government leadership
New Zealand, Australia, and India scored the highest, with Japan and Korea on the low end

Read the full report here