As digitization and technology transform employment in various sectors, women as workers and as entrepreneurs are required to respond and adapt to the changing economic landscape or otherwise be at risk of experiencing job displacement, compromised business operations, and challenges accessing finance.

Increasingly aware of the importance of women’s economic participation, the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) incorporated considerations for gender mainstreaming and the digital economy in the design and development of its 2025 Consolidated Strategic Action Plan. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) ASEAN Connectivity through Trade and Investment (US-ACTI) project, implemented by Nathan, produced the White Paper on Women’s Economic Empowerment in the Digital Economy to provide the AEC a roadmap to integrate women’s economic empowerment as a key imperative in future plans, programs, and initiatives for the region, particularly relating to the digital economy.

The document is an in-depth examination of the AEC action plan for 2025 and provides a set of recommendations to bolster women’s economic empowerment in the areas of women’s entrepreneurship, financial inclusion, and training and skills enhancement for women workers in the context of the digital economy.