Women at Work: Legal and Regulatory Barriers and Opportunities to Women’s Wage-Employment in ASEAN Member States

Women across the ASEAN region are confronted by regulations and policies restricting their labor force participation. These policies impact their ability to earn an income and have decision-making power, as well as impacting the economy as a whole. This brief reviews the status of national laws and regulations that impede or promote women in entering and or remaining in formal employment. It examines how laws and regulations in ASEAN member states enable or limit women in entering, remaining, and advancing in the formal sector workforce. Specifically, this brief analyzes how employment discrimination, regulatory employment restrictions, gender inequalities in civil and administrative laws, and sexual harassment limit women’s abilities to engage in wage employment. It also analyzes how laws and policies can support working women and parents. The report draws heavily on the 2018 World Bank Women, Business and the Law data and features cases of successful interventions in the ASEAN region. The brief identifies opportunities for action by ASEAN and its member states.

This brief was adapted for ASEAN Connectivity through Trade and Investment (ACTI) from the 2018 publication Women’s Wage Employment in Developing Countries: Regulatory Barriers and Opportunities.